GEORGINA BEYER (Labour): I am pleased to take a brief call on the third reading of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. I think it is pertinent to remind members of at least one aspect of the bill that is important, which is the fact that it will protect specified vulnerable employees, such as cleaners and food and catering service workers. The terms and conditions of employment of those specified employees have successively been undermined where that work—and they do work—is contracted out or passed on to another business, the contract is sold or transferred, or the work is brought back in-house.

Some of the speeches we have heard here this evening from members of the Opposition betray any talk of their caring for those members of the workforce, or any other workers, for that matter, with crocodile tears—

Gerry Brownlee: Stop making it up!

GEORGINA BEYER: —and the kinds of throw-off comments that the deputy leader of the National Party chooses to make by interjection. Those members do not give a stuff about the workers of this country—they never have! What have their speeches consisted of? They want to think about the business people alone. What about the people who clean the office of that member opposite? In fact, those workers look after us all here in Parliament. This is the kind of achievement a bill like this, put forward by this Government, can make for the real workers in this country. Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker.