Ngaro AlfredHEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK (VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATIONS) AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingDebate resumed from 4 April.Hon ALFRED NGARO (National): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I thank you for the opportunity to speak on this bill. This is the Health and Safety at Work (Volunteer Associations) Amendment Bill. It's in the name of the member my colleague Harete Hipango. Again I want to acknowledge her as she's only been here for five minutes and she's got a bill drawn out. For many in the House they've been here for quite a while longer and they have not had that opportunity and that privilege as well.The particular essence of this bill—and I think we were talking about this last time—was in regard to the impacts on the voluntary sector. I think it was Kieran McAnulty who was making some comments across the House. I then was giving him information about the sector. I think I might just do it again just to refresh his memory about I suppose the importance of the sector as well. I call it the backbone of our civil society.We have 114132 not-for-profit organisations and 27900 registered charitable trusts. When they have calculated the amount of contribution made in monetary terms it equates both in labour and expertise in kind to around about $9.4 billion. That's about 4.4 percent of the GDP. Now I know that's a lot of figures and a lot of numbers; what it really is trying to say is that our voluntary sector is such an important part of our society and of all our communities. It's anything from our fire service where of over 30000 fire persons 80 percent are volunteers. You can go through to over 20000 in our St John paramedics—over 65 percent are volunteers. So they play a significant role right down to our NGOs our community organisations that are serving our communities.So the purpose and the reason for this bill is to ensure that we don't punish them. Now the Health and Safety at Work Act—Hon Iain Lees-Galloway: Punish—so health and safety practice is a punishment is it?Hon ALFRED NGARO: Let's think about this—Hon Iain Lees-Galloway: Punishment? Really?Hon ALFRED NGARO: You might just want to listen a bit instead of sort of chipping across. OK?Hon Iain Lees-Galloway: I am listening to you. It horrifies me.Hon ALFRED NGARO: You shouldn't be horrified because this does not remove their duty of care. If you think about it in 2013 when the independent task force was actually put in place—and let's remember the history; this goes back to Pike River. The independent task force clearly said that our health and safety work conditions right the way through from paid organisations to voluntary needed to ensure that there was health and safety well-being—a duty of care that should have been considered along the way for a long time. So in the first time in 20 years we had the most significant change in our health and safety. And I have to say that was under a National-led Government.However in saying that like all things sometimes all the big changes we make can also have small unintended consequences. One of those in particular is around NGOs voluntary organisations that have people who want to contribute some expertise. In particular for instance when we think about the accounts and the compliance that often has to take place many NGOs will contract for a short period of time in hours the expertise of someone like an accountant who has the ability to be able to offer their skill sets. [Bell rung]ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): It's 30 seconds now.Hon ALFRED NGARO: Four minutes—my time has gone so quickly. What I wanted to say very clearly is that we don't want to impose upon them the role of being a PCBU—that's a person conducting a business or undertaking—and all the regulations that sit inside that. So what the bill is simply saying is that we should take consideration—it's a small amendment—that will allow for those organisations to employ a person or persons conducting up to and no more than 100 hours of service in kind which can add so much experience and wealth and ability to help those NGOs. That's what we're asking for from this bill.What we'd like to ask is that this bill would actually go into select committee. The fine details can be worked through. It's not a bill that we think would create the great concern that maybe those in opposition to it have talked about. It's a small amendment that will help NGOs to be efficient to be effective in the role of serving their communities. Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker.