Dyson Ruth: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Dyson Ruth: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:631;Page:2930] 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister of Labour) 
: 
 I move  
That the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill be now read a third time 
. The purpose of this bill is to implement the Labour-Progressive Government’s commitment to extend paid parental leave to self-employed parents who are not currently covered by the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act. In doing so the bill furthers a number of the Government’s objectives to support working parents on the birth or adoption of a child. 
Paid parental leave is one component of the Labour-Progressive Government’s policy to promote high-quality working lives. So far more than 77000 working parents have benefited since the Government introduced paid parental leave for employees in 2002. A year after introducing paid parental leave the Government conducted a review that showed that the scheme has been very successful and that both employees and employers have adjusted well to the entitlement. The review also found that the scheme could be improved by extending its coverage to self-employed parents who are not eligible for paid parental leave. That is what the amendment bill does. 
The bill supports the Government’s commitment to families and to enhancing equity by ensuring that the paid parental leave scheme is accessible to a wider number of individuals. It does so by allowing workers to access paid parental leave irrespective of whether they are employees or self-employed and by supporting the health and well-being of new mothers and their babies. The bill is intended to provide parental leave payments to self-employed people on a basis that is consistent with those that are provided to employees where that can be achieved while also recognising the particular circumstances of self-employment. 
It is estimated that just over 2000 self-employed parents will apply for paid parental leave each year. Self-employed mothers will be eligible if they have worked an average of 10 hours a week or more during either a 6 or 12-month period immediately before the expected date of delivery or adoption of a child. Self-employed mothers will have the same rights as employees to transfer this payment to their eligible partners who may be either self-employed or employees. Self-employed people will be entitled to receive paid parental leave if they are engaged in more than one type of work consecutively and/or if they have a break of 30 days or less between engagements. Like employees they will be required to stop working while receiving payments. However they will be able to maintain a level of oversight of their business during the leave period. 
The bill provides that employees and the self-employed will become eligible for a subsequent period of parental leave and parental leave payments if the expected date of delivery or adoption is at least 6 months after their return to work from a previous period of parental leave rather than 12 months as at present. That provides fairness between first-time parents and parents of subsequent children. It will extend the eligibility to paid parental leave to a small number of employees who are currently ineligible. 
The bill enables the Department of Labour to approve applications for payment where there are technical problems with the application. Currently these applications must go to the Employment Relations Authority before they can be approved. That amendment will save applicants from having to go through that process. However the department may not approve applications if the problem is in dispute between the employer and the employee. The bill also includes a new provision that explicitly provides that employees or self-employed persons may apply to the Employment Relations Authority for a review of a decision made by the Department of Labour about their eligibility for a parental leave payment. 
The changes contained in the bill will be monitored after their implementation and will be included in the findings of an evaluation of the entire parental leave scheme which is currently under way. The evaluation is looking at the experiences of women partners employers and those who are ineligible for this scheme. It will assist the Government to further understand how well the parental leave scheme is meeting its objectives and it will identify potential areas of further improvement for the future. 
The bill reflects the Labour-Progressive Government’s commitment both to working families and to building strong families. It will extend coverage to a range of self-employment activities including the working arrangements of farming families. Giving practical financial help to families and supporting positive health outcomes for both mothers and babies are significant steps. By extending paid parental leave to self-employed parents this Government is ensuring that more New Zealand working parents irrespective of whether they are employees or self-employed have the best opportunity to raise their families while continuing to participate in the paid workforce to their full potential. 
I conclude by thanking the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee membership for its efficient hard work on the bill. I also extend my thanks to the clerks and to all those who took the time to make submissions. I commend the bill to the House.