Russell Deborah; Williams PotoDr DEBORAH RUSSELL (Labour—New Lynn): Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. I'm delighted to speak in this House to a simple matter of fairness—fairness which is dear to the Labour Party. It motivates us and drives us. Despite the assertions from the Opposition this is in fact a very very simple matter. They are dreaming up complexity where none exists and perhaps it says more about them than it does about the bill itself.I am absolutely committed to this bill absolutely committed to ensuring that we get a fair deal for the residents of retirement villages. I'm committed to it even though it will make not one jot of difference to my own constituents in New Lynn. And why is that? It is because the Auckland Council has worked out how to do this. It will make not one jot of difference to people who live on the Kāpiti coast because the Kāpiti Coast District Council has worked out how to bring fairness to the residents of retirement villages. It will make not one jot of difference to the residents of retirement homes in New Plymouth because the New Plymouth District Council has worked out how to bring some fairness for residents of retirement villages. But it turns out that the members of the Opposition think it is too complicated for Government even though these excellent city councils can do it. So I think we can sort out this matter and it is a really straightforward matter to sort out.What we're doing—the essence of this bill—is helping out elderly New Zealanders who don't have very big incomes with the expenses of maintaining their own home. This is actually a really important part of our aged-care policy. There's kind of an ongoing strategy that we have in aged care to look after our elderly citizens to help them to age in place—to stay in the homes that they know to stay in places of their own to keep them secure. That's an ongoing strategy we have and it's why we fund all sorts of home help. It's why we try to fund help in homes; it's in order to help our aged citizens to do the very best they can. But you know it can be tough meeting the fixed costs of maintaining your own home and this is what this simple measure sets out to do. It sets out to help our aged citizens.We help a lot of them already. There is a huge number of retired New Zealanders living in their own homes who collect a rates rebate but we deny that rates rebate to people who happen to live in retirement villages all because of a quirk of the law that wasn't envisaged when this rates rebate was first set up in 1973. So now we're going to set out to fix that problem and it's a simple solution. All we do is amend some of the definitions and that will make it possible to extend the rates rebate to people who hold a licence to occupy in retirement villages. It turns out again it's not easy. The Opposition have suggested it's just a bit too difficult to calculate it. But I tell you you get any decent cost accountant and you can sort it out. These problems can be sorted out. It's not that hard. So that's what we're going to do—we're actually going to set out to sort this problem.It sort of leaves me puzzled—puzzled—as to why the Opposition would oppose this measure. Who is going to deny helping elderly New Zealanders? Why would you refuse to help them? I just can't understand it. I have sort of been thinking about it and trying to work out what is going on here and all I can come up with is that they are engaging in the politics of despite. For the benefit of my colleague Mr Chris Penk over there who is rather fond of the quirks of the English language the word despite" as well as being a preposition can also be a noun. It is the politics of contempt or the politics of disdain and I see the politics of contempt and disdain going on there over the concept of being fair the concept of trying to work out a simple measure. I see the politics of contempt and disdain going on in the way that the minority report on the Local Government and Environment Committee has been ignored and I see the politics of despite going on in the way that the Opposition is refusing to help the residents of retirement villages who could just do with a little bit of help with their income.So I urge them instead of sticking to their rather silly opposition to this bill to in fact acknowledge that the problems can be solved; that they acknowledge that it is actually a simple matter that they acknowledge that we can sort out some of the complexities of calculation with just consulting an accountant—and believe me I know; I have been an accountant. It's not that hard and it is not that hard to be fair. That is why on this side of the House on the Government side of the House we support this excellent bill which will sort out a problem for our elderly and will do so in a way that makes it fair for all New Zealanders. I commend this bill.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Jonathan Young—five minutes."