Bennett David: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Bennett David: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) 
: 
 It is an absolute pleasure to be here today to support the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill. While we were in the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee I found it very reassuring and a blessing for this environment to find out how National Labour and New Zealand First members could work together constructively on legislation that benefits this country. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Are we talking about the grand coalition here? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: No. It was first time I could see commonality between all parties and it was a long time in coming. That select committee has gone through a lot of legislation that we could not agree on but we found that things changed overnight as parties looked to their political whims—especially in respect of certain pieces of legislation. But today we are demonstrating how politics in New Zealand can work and how people can come together for the right reasons. It is a real pleasure to be part of that environment. 
Contrary to the comments of Minister Dyson who throughout her speeches has been trying to label the National Party as being against this process and to portray it in a way that is totally incorrect the National Party is moving forward and developing policy that is for everyone. When we look at the purpose clause we see that it covers basically one page of the bill. But it is a good synopsis of the whole legislation. When we look at the word “purpose” we have to consider what that means. 
The Labour Government has no purpose; it has no idea what it wants to do in this country and it never will. It is just a Government that taxes and spends. When I look at the purpose of this legislation the key word for me is “self-employed”. Why is that the key word? Why do we have legislation that has provisions for the self-employed as its purpose? It is because Labour did not deliver for self-employed people when it put forward this legislation in the first place. It tried to deliver only for those who were employed—the people whom they thought would vote for them. What happened then? Three to 4 years later new legislation—an amendment bill—has come forward that has organisations like the Nurses Organisation and Business New Zealand all standing up in front of the select committee and saying the same thing: “Deliver for self-employed people just like you delivered for people who are in employment relationships.” 
So the purpose of the legislation concerns self-employed people. We should not need to have legislation that dictates to self-employed people. It creates a distinction in this country between those who are employed and those who are self-employed. A true Government would not have created that distinction in the first place. A true Government would have kept the purpose of that original legislation in 2002 for all New Zealanders. Not all dogs are treated in the same way but all New Zealanders need to be treated in the same way. 
Clause 3 “Purpose” states: “(1) The main purpose of this Act is to entitle certain self-employed persons …”. Even the word “certain” dictates what Labour thinks about self-employed people. It does not give to those people the same credibility that it gives to employed people. They have to wait 3 or 4 years for their justice. Then when they receive that justice they are called “certain” self-employed people. Labour is saying it does not want all self-employed people; it wants only “certain” ones—the ones whom it can control and the ones whom it thinks will benefit from it. That shows a Government that has no purpose. Just as the legislation does not need a purpose this Government has no purpose. It has no idea what is going on. It just looks around for whatever the latest poll indicates might be a purpose. What does the latest poll say? Let us talk about the polling in respect of Telecom for example and how great the purpose of the Government has been in respect of people and their shares. That shows a lack of purpose. Labour will change its mind if it thinks that it is more than just employees who are at stake—if the Nurses Organisation and Business New Zealand come together. 
I have to give credit to the Department of Labour. It was brilliant during the select committee process. As a new member of the House I would like to give credit to all the Government departments that my constituency has worked with.