Shirley Ken: Legislation (Incorporation by Reference) Bill — Instruction to Committee Second Reading Instruction to Committee Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Shirley Ken: Legislation (Incorporation by Reference) Bill — Instruction to Committee Second Reading Instruction to Committee Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:625;Page:19811] 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY (ACT) 
: 
 The ACT party will also oppose the Committee considering Supplementary Order Paper 361. I have listened carefully to the previous two speakers and I think the whole House and the whole country should be alarmed at what is occurring here tonight. We have a Supplementary Order Paper that is 10 times bigger than the original bill. Moreover the Act it amends is 12 days old. It is 12 days old. The Labour Government assisted by its doormat the United Future party is making legislation on the hoof. It is rushing through the House under urgency legislation that we know is thoroughly bad. We know that the building legislation in this country is in a terrible mess and all the indications here are that it will get considerably worse. 
I do not think the average Kiwi realises the extent of the problem yet. The traditional do-it-yourselfer or home handyman is out of business and it is the Labour Government’s rhetoric that is driving it. There are 21 pages of this Supplementary Order Paper. It is interesting—and the point has already been made—that the Supplementary Order Paper is in the name of Minister Pete Hodgson not Chris Carter. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Why? 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY 
: Why indeed? Mr Carter has been tossed aside. But the issue is Minister Chris Carter said that he thought there were no problems. To that extent he is tossing the issues aside. He is tossing the issues aside yet he himself has been tossed aside as the Minister fronting the bill. [ 
Interruption 
] No. He is either the “tossee” or the “tossor”. Perhaps Minister Carter could tell us if he is the “tossee” or the “tossor”. 
Hon David Carter 
: Both! 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY 
: Perhaps he is both. Perhaps he is the “tossee” the “tossor” and as someone else said the tosser. We know he is the “tossee” and the “tossor” and he is a tosser too so he is all three. Could the Government explain to us why the Minister who was in charge of a small piece of legislation has been tossed aside and another Minister has been brought in to do the substantive Supplementary Order Paper which is actually 10 times bigger than the bill? 
 This is the outrage: irrespective of whether he is the “tossee” or the “tossor”—because that is pretty irrelevant actually; who cares—the real issue is that this important legislation which will cause great offence to a lot of New Zealanders is not going anywhere near a select committee. No public submissions have been called for. That is a very arrogant action from any Government. It is legislation on the hoof. It is a Government in meltdown and panic. All it is interested in is public perception and the closing down of issues. It did not want Minister Carter anywhere near the legislation so it tossed him aside and brought in another Minister just to close the issue down. 
The Government had its doormat party United Future to be complicit and to let that happen. Every home handyperson in this country knows who to blame. Who should they blame? United Future. That is the party that has allowed it to happen. 
Dail Jones 
: All in the name of stability. 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY 
: All in the name of stability—absolutely. It will provide stability. No matter how outrageous the legislation that the Government wants to ram through Parliament under urgency denying the public the right to be heard and to make a submission in the name of stability United Future will be the doormat and allow that to happen. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Not for long! 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY 
: Not for long—that is the redeeming feature. We know that it will not be for long because the people will have their revenge. The voters will not tolerate that sort of behaviour. They will have their revenge and it will be sooner rather than later. 
I think they will have their revenge on Mr Carter too. They know that he has been tossed aside. They know that he is either the “tossee” or the “tossor” and some of them suspect that he is the tosser as well. They will have their say and they will throw them all out because this is bad legislation. As it becomes obvious how bad the legislation is the country will realise that the building laws which were already in a mess have been made considerably worse by this Government. It is closing down the right of average Kiwis the home handypersons to do the basic tasks that they have done for generations in this country because it does not understand them. 
Certainly the ACT party will oppose the legislation and I understand that National and New Zealand First will. United Future members were not here a few moments ago—they missed the call. Perhaps they might absent themselves at this late stage in which case we can stop this legislation because New Zealand does not want it. We should all oppose it.