Dyson Ruth: Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Dyson Ruth: Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:633;Page:4823] 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister of Labour) 
: 
 What an extraordinary exposé of right-wing pure ideology from that member. It is just extraordinary to steal language words like “freedom” and then put them alongside the right for people to be paid $1 an hour $2 an hour $3 an hour or anything other than the minimum wage of $10.25 and call that freedom. What a disgrace to a civilised society that member is! She should hang her head in shame and never come to this House and repeat that sort of ideological nonsense. It is just a total outrage. 
For people who are the most vulnerable in our society to not be entitled to a minimum wage in a civilised society in New Zealand in 2006 is just a disgrace. That member purports to understand what it is like for people who are in low-paid jobs people who are struggling. That member who brings out her tissues has crocodile tears appearing because she had such a hard road to pave before her grand entry into this House. Then she comes into the House and says that people should have the freedom to work for less than the minimum wage. Well if people want the freedom to be like that member then I think we have a responsibility to save them from that fate. Anybody in New Zealand should be saved from the fate of being like that member; her speech was just a disgrace. 
I want to congratulate Darien Fenton. She has been in this House for less than 12 months and has produced a member’s bill that addresses a very fundamental flaw in our employment relations legislation in that we do not have a minimum wage provision for those who are working under a contract for service. They may be vulnerable they may not be very wise they may decide to cut all sorts of corners in order to get a contract so not only will this bill give those contractors legislative provision under the minimum wage legislation but it will also ensure that we have fair competition when we are looking at the contracts we provide for. 
So the bill seeks to amend the Minimum Wage Act 1983 in order to extend the minimum wage provisions to apply to payments under a contract for service. It is important in a civilised society as New Zealand prides itself on being that we should not have people who are able because they need to undercut another competitor to do a contract for something that may be doing them or their subcontractors no good at all. It is very ironic that Dr Mapp raised the matter of that legislative gap in the House prior to the adjournment and again today. Dr Mapp identified that it was a flaw in employment relations legislation but now with such an extraordinary attitude has come into this House and attacked the very legislation designed to fix the flaw he identified. It is no wonder that member is regarded by employers and employees up and down the country as having no integrity when it comes to matters of honesty openness and genuineness in ensuring that what one says in the House and what one says outside are consistent. I am delighted to support this bill and I look forward to its progress through the House.