GEORGINA BEYER (Labour-Wairarapa): I am very pleased to take a short call on the second reading of the Charities Bill. I will focus primarily on my gratitude to members of the Social Services Committee, which I am proud to chair and which I chaired during the course of the hearings on this bill. I thank the members who served on the select committee: Dr Muriel Newman, Paul Adams, Sue Bradford, the Hon Taito Phillip Field, Bill Gudgeon, Moana Mackey, Katherine Rich, Dr Lynda Scott, the Hon Judith Tizard, and Gordon Copeland. I also thank Judith Collins, who on occasions was present as well.

The committee received 753 submissions, of which we heard 161, and we held hearings in Auckland over 2 days. It became very apparent to the select committee very early on in the hearing of submissions that some points were consistently raised by the submitters we heard. So we devised a list of the eight concerns most often raised by the submitters we had seen, so that those who came after them could look at that list and agree that those were the points they had concerns about. That was provided particularly because of the very short amount of time submitters had to have their voices heard, and it allowed submitters to get the best they could out of the process in that time. That was achieved because they were able to eliminate the eight points and go on to other matters that concerned them that they otherwise might have had little time to express.

I believe that the select committee process worked as far as our democracy is concerned—to the point, indeed, where the submissions we read and heard had a profound effect on how the committee felt it should deal with the bill. As the Minister mentioned in her speech, most, if not all, of the eight concerns consistently raised by submitters have been addressed and rectified in the bill that is before the House now. That should send a strong and clear message to New Zealanders that the select committee process is of value, that what is of most value is their opinions and submissions on particular bills, and that they are indeed listened to by members of select committees. Quite often we are told that they are not valued and that we do not listen to them. Well, here is an example of a bill on which they were listened to and to which they added some significant changes—there has been a virtual rewrite of the original bill.

In the House this evening we are on to the second reading of the bill and we will, I hope, speedily continue through to the Committee stage. I conclude by acknowledging the select committee again but also, importantly, the officials who worked with the select committee. They included officials from the Ministry of Economic Development, the Inland Revenue Department, the Ministry of Social Development—particularly the Office of the Community and Voluntary Sector—Treasury, and the Parliamentary Counsel Office. They had hours and hours of work to do as the committee went through its considerations.

Also, I would like to acknowledge Gordon Copeland, in particular. He, of course, worked some years previously with the working party towards what became a draft of the Charities Bill. I look forward to his speech later on. He will be able to enlighten the House and anybody who happens to be listening on the details and perhaps the gestation of this bill. With that—

Darren Hughes: Oh, no!

GEORGINA BEYER: Well, I should carry on; I am getting rounds of applause here. I wish the bill a speedy passage through the House.