Simmonds PennyPENNY SIMMONDS (National—Invercargill): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise to speak in support but with reservations of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Amendment Bill. Just to be very clear: the bill is seeking to delay that repeal of the experience pathway as a means of registering to have a qualification prescribed by the Social Workers Registration Board; repealing that to a further four years to 2028. The current law allows for that experience pathway and it's not an unusual thing to have that recognition of prior learning being given the recognition that it should have. The bill is seeking to have that four-year extension which my colleague has questioned the need for it being quite that far.So the National Party actually introduced the Social Workers Registration Legislation Bill in August 2017. It was particularly important in that it did the following: made the registration for social work compulsory protected the use of the title social worker" and ensured that social workers were competent and fit to practise. It was entirely appropriate for those matters to be introduced in that bill because as Dr Webb said earlier our social workers are often working with the most vulnerable New Zealanders and it's absolutely important that those vulnerable people are kept safe. It's not unusual when a profession is going through a transition period of going from unregulated to regulated to have that ability to recognise the experience of workers in that industry who may not have undertaken a formal qualification.I do at this point want to acknowledge all our social workers whether they are formally and academically qualified or have had their registration recognised by the board because of the experience that they have amassed over many years. So I want to acknowledge those social workers and I want to acknowledge the challenges and the emotional toll that their work has on them.I also want to acknowledge those in the tertiary sector who teach the social worker qualifications. Many of these qualifications are in the vocational education sector. I want to comment a little on the thoughts of my colleague the Hon Louise Upston who was concerned that some of the upheaval in the vocational education sector may well be impacting on the numbers that are being taken into those training programmes. So I acknowledge the anxiety that many of those tutors might be feeling in those social worker qualifications now.The other point that the Hon Louise Upston made was that 55 percent of social workers' time is doing admin. I'm almost certain that social workers with a passion for working with the most vulnerable with helping people do not have an equal amount of passion for doing administration. So that is something that I am sure must be weighing heavily on a number of social workers. I think of Awarua Whanau Services who I visited last week who do wonderful work in Southland and I want to acknowledge them. They have of course nurses and midwives and other health workers but they also have a number of social workers who are under considerable stress and pressure at the moment. Many of their comments aligned with that fact that we just talked about before of 55 percent of their time being spent on admin.So I'm very pleased that the Hon Duncan Webb outlined how the process is undertaken for social workers to get their registration recognised through the experience pathway and that it is in no way inferior to a pathway of a formal qualification. For anyone who might be listening it is quite a formal process: portfolios have to be submitted; the story of the pathway of the social worker; how they got into social work; their relevant employment history and often that is of a really significant period and often actually predating when there were formal qualifications; and any other qualifications that they might hold—and I'm aware that many of them might hold ancillary qualifications but qualifications that none the less are very important to the work that they do. I think of things like level 2 3 and 4 in Te Ara Reo Māori—qualifications that many social workers have undertaken. They must have details of professional development they have done and also be able to demonstrate that they have the competence to work in the social work field. So it is not a simple process; it's a very complex process and one which if they are recognised as gaining the experience pathway to being a registered social worker that they have demonstrated considerable skills experience knowledge and ability. So I just want to reinforce what the Hon Duncan Webb said about the importance of that pathway.So this extension really is largely—as I can see it—in part due to the Government's inability to make progress in that pay equity settlement. So it's of real concern that the length of extension that is being asked for is four years. When we have a look at the Public Service Commission website on the pay equity settlement it's currently at the stage of data cross-checking which is the fourth stage of 10 stages. So unless the next six stages are incredibly quick it does assume that that process has a long way to go. So I assume what the Government is looking for is a safety net of a time frame through this legislation. I'd have to say that four years is probably pushing things really further than I'm sure a number of social workers would want to see. Look it's not unusual in that sort of transition phase of a vocation or a profession becoming more regulated to have a period where those with experience are being recognised. But another four years seems an extraordinarily long period and given that most social workers now would be coming to the registration process through having a qualification it does really beg the question of why the Government feel that they need to give themselves this length of time.The other thing that is of concern—and the Hon Louise Upston commented on it as well—is: given the legislation goes through until 2024 now the extension is for four years to 2028 why on earth ram it through with a shortened consultation period? Why not take the full consultation period and why not give respect to this vocation this profession of social workers to have a full consultation period rather than trying to ram it through given the time periods that we are looking at 2024 and being taken out to 2028?So we are supporting this at this first reading. We are supporting it with reservations. In doing so though we acknowledge the wonderful work that our social workers do out in the community—both those who are formally academically qualified but also those who have gone through the experience pathway. Thank you Madam Speaker."