Lees-Galloway Iain; Tolley AnneSecond ReadingHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. I move That the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill be now read a second time.Madam Deputy Speaker—and this is the first time I've had an opportunity to use that term in my nine years in the House—can I congratulate you and the other presiding offers on your election to your roles. I think your role as Deputy Speaker is a very strong signal that this Parliament has the ability to work constructively together around ideas and notions that are in the best interest of New Zealand and I look forward to the togetherness the constructive relationship and the constructive approach that led to your election as Deputy Speaker when traversing other legislation as indeed we have seen this evening.As I set out in the first reading of the bill this is fundamentally about giving working parents and caregivers sufficient time to care for and bond with their newborns and young children. There is ample evidence now that the attachment between baby and mum or whoever the primary carer is is one of the most important aspects of the development of a child. The opportunity to spend quality time together fostering that attachment and fostering that relationship is what we are supporting with this legislation this evening. The bill provides better assistance for working parents and caregivers to ensure families with a newborn are supported to give that child the best possible start in life. It is important for New Zealand society that parents and caregivers are allowed the time and space to develop close bonds with their children reducing parental and family stress and thus supporting children's health and development.The fact that we are ready to progress this bill so early in the first hundred days of this Government is due in large part to the policy and legislative development undertaken by the Government Administration Committee of which the Hon Ruth Dyson was the chair in the last term of Parliament and its consideration of two separate members' bills sponsored by Sue Moroney.While this bill is being presented as a stand-alone piece of legislation today I want to emphasise that for this Government extending paid parental leave is just one component of an overall families package which includes boosting Working for Families for all those who currently receive it and extending it to 30000 more families; introducing a Best Start payment to help families with costs in a child's early years; introducing a winter energy payment for people receiving superannuation or a main benefit; reinstating the independent earner tax credit; and implementing the accommodation supplement and accommodation benefit increases that were announced in Budget 2017. Through the introduction of the Best Start scheme and our increase in Working for Families payments the Government will target money and support towards babies and toddlers and at low and middle income families because we believe that every Kiwi child deserves the best start in life regardless of their background.I want to address some of the concerns that have been raised by members opposite. Some of them I think are serious questions. Some of them are a little bit more spurious. First I want to address the fact that the National Party have now found themselves the defenders of democracy" in New Zealand expressing deep concern that this bill is not going to a select committee. Well as we have traversed already two previous bills that did exactly what this bill will do—extend paid parental leave incrementally to 26 weeks in total over time—have already been to select committee. In fact Sue Moroney's member's bill was in select committee for over 18 months and received thousands of submissions and considerable scrutiny. In fact the second time Ms Moroney's bill was sent to select committee many of the submitters simply resubmitted the same submission that they made for the first bill. Why on earth would we make them submit the same submission a third time? Hon Ruth Dyson: We could just table the submissions.Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Clearly—actually the Hon Ruth Dyson makes a good point: we could just table all those submissions. If the National Party is so desperate to know what people said at the last select committees we could table those submissions. But I want to acknowledge that actually in the first 100 days of a Government urgency is often used. When I first arrived in this House the new National Government had just come to power and they also used urgency to progress their 100-day agenda. In fact the first piece of legislation that I spoke on in this House was the bill to introduce national standards—an entirely new approach vehemently opposed by the education sector vehemently opposed by anybody who knew anything about education and yet the National Government at the time pushed it through under urgency with no select committee and no opportunity for public consideration.But members I can go one better. Does anybody remember the last time that we had an increase to paid parental leave? It was done surprisingly by the National Government. It was an increase from 14 to 18 weeks. This was after Sue Moroney's first bill when their pollsters told them that they were on the wrong side of the debate. They increased it from 14 to 18 weeks. Does anybody recall when? Budget 2014—under urgency in the days after Budget 2014. The last time paid parental leave was extended in New Zealand was by the National Government under urgency—no select committee. So the crocodile tears from the so-called defenders of democracy over there do not wash with us because this is the first 100 days of a Government and in fact the very people standing and raising so much concern about extending paid parental leave under urgency did it themselves just a few years ago.Hon Members: Don't use the "h" word!Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: I can't use the "h" word and I shan't.However I would like to point out that the one member who actually had something constructive to bring was Sarah Dowie. And I say to Sarah Dowie that we still have the committee of the whole House and if that member brings a constructive amendment we will consider it because we do want to be a constructive Government that can work with all parties. So the offer is on the table to work with Sarah Dowie. If she brings an amendment that all parties of this Government can agree with let's have a look at it. Let's see if we can strengthen this legislation using the processes that are available to us.I also understand from the National Party that this has been their policy all along. Let's just get it on the record because none of their members have said it. Their policy at the last election—late in the campaign at the last election—was to increase it to 22 weeks not to 26. So let's just have some honesty.Members have raised the question of the fiscals. The total additional cost to the State over the next 4 years will be $325.2 million according to the best estimates that the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) are able to give me and at the appropriate moment I intend to seek leave to table those documents so that members opposite can consider those.In summary this Government believes that this bill extending the duration of parental leave payments will benefit New Zealand working families with newborn children and those assuming care of a child under six. It will provide the financial certainty and confidence needed to take time off work to care for and bond with their children. This is true of the bill seen in isolation. However it is even more true when it is seen as part of the overall families package which will deliver a range of other supports to families with young children. This crucial investment in our children and families will produce a range of positive social and economic benefits for New Zealand as a whole and I commend this bill to the House.I seek leave to table a document prepared by MBIE and Treasury titled "Estimated cost of existing PPL scheme for July to June financial years".Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Is there any objection to those papers being tabled? They may be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House."