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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-11-12 Daily Xml
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PUBLIC CORPORATIONS (SUBSIDIARIES) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 11 September 2013.)

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (12:54): This bill deals with public corporations' subsidiaries and seeks to amend the Public Corporations Act 1993 in two ways. Firstly, the bill seeks to introduce a mechanism for an external, independent dispute resolution process. The bill will enable an amendment to the regulations to provide the Administrative and Disciplinary Division of the District Court to hear an appeal against a decision of the corporation.

Secondly, the bill seeks to limit the power and control of the parent corporation (the minister). It will amend the act to ensure that where a subsidiary makes a decision in the capacity of the trustee, the subsidiary is not bound to follow the direction of the parent corporation—in other words, the minister. It will take the power away from the minister and allow the subsidiary to exercise trustee functions independently. The opposition supports the bill and has no questions.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Finance, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (12:55): Again, I thank the opposition. We have established a superannuation vehicle that sits outside the constitutionally protected framework under which we currently operate. It may be with the effluxion of time that more people join the Public Service or people who are currently members of the Public Service transfer across to the new scheme.

The new scheme probably has a major benefit in that upon retirement the pension is not taxable whereas at the moment, all of us, including those within the parliamentary scheme, in the constitutionally protected scheme, have our pensions taxed. My understanding is that, without speaking at length, due to the fact that we are setting up a non-constitutionally protected superannuation scheme that there is a requirement that certain things be done, one of which is that the dispute resolution power be withdrawn from me as the minister and conferred on the court, and there are a couple of others.

Bill read a second time.

Third Reading

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Finance, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (12:57): I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Bill read a third time and passed.

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