Walker HamishHAMISH WALKER (National—Clutha-Southland): Thank you Madam Chair. I just want to thank that previous speaker—Marja Lubeck. I actually just googled her name and funnily enough she's a former union delegate—funny that. She also asked whether the National Party members have ever worked in a freezing work job. My first job out of school was as a commercial fisherman with 18-hour days. Possum-trapping goldmining—I've actually employed people. I just want to talk about Part 2. I had a business for 3½ years and I can still remember employing my first staff member. It was a very proud day for me. This staff member earned a lot more money than I did. I can still remember that after about a week I decided to take her out for lunch and what do you know? My card was declined. Why? Because this worker was getting paid; I wasn't. I was taking the risk. Marja Lubeck: Oh so sad! HAMISH WALKER: Well that's pretty sad to be honest—you reacting like that. I find that very sad. I just want to take the opportunity to break this bill down and actually talk about some of the real consequences of the bill for employers and employees in places like Balclutha Lumsden Lawrence and Queenstown. This bill takes away flexibility from the workplace. I was talking to a lady last week. She is terrified of the bill. She booked an appointment came into my office and she said Hamish I've always been a Labour voter until now." I said "Why is that? Why have you always been a Labour voter till now?" and she said "Under current employment law I can pick up my children because I get to the school gate bang on 3 o'clock but now the flexibility of the meal breaks are being taken away." This lady doesn't have meal breaks. She has a lunch break but she's quite happy to work through her meal breaks when there are customers in the store. Now she will be turning up at 3.20 and her kids—who are five seven and nine—will be left at the gate by themselves because this Government has taken away flexibility from this. So that's my first question for Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. Minister is there some room for the employer and employee to negotiate some flexibility around this sort of situation? She's an incredibly hard-working lady and she just wants to know if she can have some sort of arrangement like the good relationship she's got with her employer at the moment so that she can pick up her kids at 3 p.m.—incredibly incredibly concerning.Just last week I visited a business and I met the manager of this business who's been with the company for three or four years. The business owner employs a number of staff. He introduced me to his manager. He said "See this guy here? If it wasn't for National this guy wouldn't have been given a chance." and I said "Why is that?" This guy had served seven years in prison and been a drug addict—not quite as bad as the one you let in recently Minister but almost—but the reason why this guy got a chance was the 90-day trial. The legislation we've got currently gives people a chance. It gives vulnerable people a chance and I hate to say it but I actually do agree with some aspects of the previous Green member's bill. I recently visited the citizens of Roxburgh and they said "Yeah Hamish two or three people we have met over the last few years have been taken advantage of but for the other 30 or 40 people that have been given a shot and given a chance because of the flexibility under the 90-day trial you just cannot go past that." So just some questions for the Minister. The first one's around the flexibility for the lady who will have to leave her young children at the school gate—because you're taking flexibility out from this—and also the 90-day trial. Minister surely if you want to look after the most vulnerable people please leave in the 90-day trial. My third question while I've got a chance is that I noticed last year that $260000 was given to the Labour Party by unions—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Order!HAMISH WALKER: $260000. CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Order! Order!HAMISH WALKER: Sorry Madam Chair. CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): I'm sorry you cannot refer to that and impute motives to the Government. HAMISH WALKER: I'm sorry Madam Chair. I take that back. It's probably a good place to leave it. So two questions to the Minister and I look forward to hearing from him answering these questions."