Parmar ParmjeetDr PARMJEET PARMAR (National): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker for the opportunity. I am taking this call to support the Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill in its first reading. It is amazing to see that the Opposition opposes this bill and on the other hand they say they are committed to pay equity.I want to acknowledge our Minister the Hon Michael Woodhouse for introducing this bill. This bill is to support a pay equity regime by providing a practical and fair process for employees to follow if they feel that they are not being paid fairly as per their job. I also want to note that this is an issue that is not confined just to New Zealand. It is a worldwide issue. The whole world is working towards gender parity. But here in New Zealand this National Government is committed and this bill will close the gap. We started working on this issue several years ago. We established a joint working group that was made up of representatives from employers unions and the Government. They came up with principles to address the issue of equal pay for work of equal value. The Equal Pay Act is not equipped to deal with equity claims so it is important that we address the issue of equity claims. With this bill employees will be able to raise the issue of equity claims which is important and it is important that we have a process in place as to how that can be followed through in a fair manner for both employees and employers.This bill is consistent with the recommendations that were made by the joint working group. This bill amends the Employment Relations Act 2000 and repeals and replaces the Equal Pay Act 1972 and the Government Service Equal Pay Act 1960.In this discussion of gender parity and pay equity I want to say that we should never forget that New Zealand is the first self-governing country to give women the right to vote. We also must acknowledge that since our suffragists earned for New Zealand women the right to vote we have come a long way. It is important for us to acknowledge that we have come a long way. We cannot dismiss that.If we look at the number of women gaining tertiary qualifications if we look at the number of women getting into the workforce and also at the number of women getting into male-dominated jobs—and also we are making great strides in helping women get into senior positions and leadership positions.But we know that the challenge is not over. We know there is more that needs to be done and that is the important thing that this National Government recognises—that the challenge is not over and we need to do more. That is why we have this bill before the House.We have a gender pay gap of 12 percent. Yes it is down from 16.3 percent in 1998. Yes it has fluctuated. In the OECD countries we rank quite low for gender pay gap. But the point is that any kind of gender pay gap is not acceptable. This National Government recognises that and that is why we have this bill before the House. We know there are several factors that contribute to the gender pay gap. It is not just one factor. I am sure the Opposition members know those factors. But along with those factors the unconscious bias and discrimination towards an individual because of their gender is the issue that bothers everyone.Yes the Government is doing its role through this legislation but I would say that our business communities our business leaders our non-governmental organisations our career advisers and our communities—everybody needs to come together to understand the importance of respecting and valuing difference to have inclusive workplaces and to work towards rooting out workplace bias.This is a great bill. I support this bill and commend it to the House. Thank you.