Adams Paul: Holidays Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Adams Paul: Holidays Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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PAUL ADAMS (United Future) 
: 
 What an interesting speech that was from Lindsay Tisch. He obviously has trouble understanding the intelligence that comes from United Future because we clearly recognise that this legislation originally was flawed. But let it be understood that United Future is a party that has unashamedly set its stance in a centralist position. Therefore that is exactly what we are doing. When we saw what was obviously bad legislation which was the original holidays legislation we voted against it. But then we see that there is room for improvement and some clauses come along. Yes I agree; we would have liked to see far more amendments in this bill. 
But let us be blatantly honest here and pick up on what Peter Brown said—[ 
Interruption 
] Yes that is us; we are the honest party too. He said that he could speak to United Future and its members could stand against the Government and get these amendments defeated. Who really thinks that with all the amendments we want we would even be dealing with this legislation tonight? Well we would not be and this legislation would not exist were it not for these clauses that improve things. There is not one member from the Opposition who has not stated tonight that this bill improves the original bill. But they have stated that they will not support it because we do not have enough improvement. The fact is that they are greedy but United Future is not. It will take it a little bit at a time. 
This bill we are dealing with tonight makes it better for the business community. I notice that Maurice Williamson asked which businesses support it. All the ones that I heard going through the select committee process were from big business. I want to tell Wayne Mapp that on the North Shore there are hundreds of small-business people who are appreciative of this legislation that is going through. It will improve the Holidays Act and I have not heard one member from the Opposition not agreeing that this bill is an improvement. 
United Future members sitting in our centralist position say that if we can take some legislation and improve it we are big enough and have enough backbone in us to do that—to make it better. That is exactly what United Future is like. If we are dealing with just the bill we are dealing with tonight we see that there are far more positives in it for business than there are negatives. I am not talking about the amendments that Opposition members have tried to have put in the bill because that is not the bill. What we have to deal with tonight is the legislation that is before us and anybody who has half an interest in business would see that the legislation before us is making an improvement. As I have said we will be able to improve it only one step at a time. I commend Maurice Williamson who has obviously had his eyes opened tonight. When he first came into the debate he thought the legislation was a rat. But now he has promoted it in his own mind and now recognises that it is the elephant after all. It is not a rat; it is an elephant and we are taking another bite out of it tonight. So United Future proudly supports this legislation.