did this afternoon in a vague and incoherent manner, but really cut
to the chase, say what needs to be
said and commend the bill to the House.
The
and commend the bill to the House. The Hon Clare Curran. For someone
who professes not
The Hon Clare Curran. For someone who professes not to
like Wagnarian operas he did tend to whittle on
a bit during that speech. I'm
pleased to speak on the second
reading of the Electronic Interactions
Reform Bill, which they describe as an
omnibus bill because
Bill, which they describe as an omnibus bill because it amend a
whole
omnibus bill because it amend a whole bunch of different bills.
Behind
whole bunch of different bills. Behind that lies a
whole bunch of different bills.
significant purpose which this new Government supports in principle
and in terms of the populous and
citizens being
in terms of the populous and citizens being able to interact more
through
citizens being able to interact more through electronic means with
its Government. However, along with that
goes a
Government. However, along with that goes a responsibility of
Government to ensure that no bid is left
nobody is left behind and nobody is disenfranchised and unable to
access the technology and therefore
unable to communicate with its
the technology and therefore unable
Government. Unfortunately, that part of the ation has been
woefully ignored by the previous Government
in
ignored by the previous Government in its approach right throughout the
last nine years.
in its approach right throughout the last nine years. You will not
in its approach right throughout the
there listening tonight will notice a significant, in fact,
massive difference in approach from this new
Government,
difference in approach from this new Government, which takes a very
progressive,
Government, which takes a very progressive, modern approach to how
Government but importantly, one that does not leave people behind. And
this is an important
does not leave people behind. And
the Minister of Internal Affairs made reference to this in
her speech made reference to this in her speech
and I'm
made reference to this in her speech and I'm sure that we will be working
in accord on
and I'm sure that we will be working in accord on that very matter
and I'm sure that we will be working
along with other ministers as we go forward into this new era of hope
and
forward into this new era of hope and what I describe
as digital inclusion, which is
an extremely important place for us to be.
inclusion, which is an extremely important place for us to be. Mr
Speaker, as
important place for us to be. Mr Speaker, as the new minister for
Government
Speaker, as the new minister for Government digital services, I,
of course, support any moves that make
it easier
course, support any moves that make it easier for New Zealanders
to access public services which include
that drive
access public services which include that drive towards more
effective digital services across Government
because the digital transformation of Government is part of a wider and
critical
of Government is part of a wider and critical transformation of our whole
society from increased
critical transformation of our whole society from increased use
of digital technologies for our
economy as well as the way that Government
communicates and
as well as the way that Government communicates and does business with
communicates
You
You know, I want to reiterate ha the
previous Government was all about pushing New Zealanders to
interact with the Government digitally, which
this bill represents,
with the Government digitally, which this bill represents, but not at all
about ensuring that all New Zealanders were able to do so.
about ensuring that all New Zealanders were able to do so. And
in the
Zealanders were able to do so. And in the commentary on this
Zealanders were able to do so. And in the commentary on this bill,
the Labour and Coalition
Government members, who were then in
Opposition,
members, who were then in Opposition, made mention of this in
the commentary to this
Opposition, made mention of this in the commentary to this piece
of legislation, where the impact of the
digital
legislation, where the impact of the digital divide was raised as
a significant issue and
questions were asked about what this
Government was going to do about it. So
I want to spend a few minutes, Mr Speaker,
actually
spend a few minutes, Mr Speaker, actually speaking about that
very matter and just exactly what the
digital divide is.
matter and just exactly what the digital divide is. Of course, there
hasn't been a great
digital divide is. Of course, there hasn't been a great deal of research
done
hasn't been a great deal of research done in this country on
this because the Opposition now, the previous
Government, really did not put any weight on it, was not interested in
pursuing it
weight on it, was not interested in pursuing it but the world Internet
Project estimates
pursuing it but the world Internet Project estimates that
pursuing it but the world Internet
New Zealanders, or around 1 in every 11 people, are not regular users
of the internet, while a further
that adds up to one in every five who use the enter net sparingly
or not at all. That is just the
basis of the research that we have now.
There needs to
of the research that we have now. There needs to be a lot
more research on this. The 2020
trust estimates that around
40,000
don't have access to the internet. Affordability, a key issue. It
is great to see that organisations
like the 2020 Trust,
which runs computers in homes, have been doing
such important work in this space. Of
course the previous Government axed the funding to them, which is one of
the very few
the funding to them, which is one of the very few programmes that
that were out there trying to close the digital divide and, of
course, they axed the funding to them. We,
of course,
they axed the funding to them. We, of course, will be going in
the opposite direction. Otago
university has done work on a
social deprivation inTex, which
has done work on a social
index, which has identified the lack of internet access at home as being
the
of internet access at home as being the highestweighted factor
for social deprivation for
the highestweighted factor for New Zealanders. What that
hells us
access to the internet is rapidly becoming and has already become a
new measure of
becoming and has already become a new measure of poverty
in this country. So when we have a
bill before the House tonight, which
we support, it is
before the House tonight, which we
without the work being done to close the digital divides, to widen
those divides in our country as more and
more
divides in our country as more and more interactions are being done
electronically
more interactions are being done electronically between
electronically between Government and citizens and yet the gaps
are not being identified, they
are not being measured and nothing
is being done about them. In fact, under
this Government, the
Government, the previous Government, they were being
Government, the previous Government,
being axed. So of course we raised this when we were in opposition. Get
into Government and
this when we were in opposition. Get into Government and discover
that that certainly is the case and that
the
that certainly is the case and that the research is very light, the
emphasis
the research is very light, the emphasis that the previous
Government paid
emphasis that the previous Government paid was
almost negligible and that there is a lot
of
negligible and that there is a lot of work to be done. This
Government is committed to
of work to be done. This Government
digital inclusion blueprint for New digital inclusion blueprint for New
Zealand to
digital inclusion blueprint for New Zealand to be doing the research
on where those digital divides
are between rural and urban communities.
Inside
between rural and urban communities. Inside urban communities,
where people do
Inside urban communities, where
afford internet access at home, where our children are going
to school, where there is
computer access, going home at
night with an expectation that they will do their
homework online,
expectation that they will do their homework online, but are unable to
because mum
homework online, but are unable to because mum and dad have a
prepaid phone with no data access. Those
children
phone with no data access. Those children are being denied their
opportunities
children are being denied their opportunities for the future. These
..are unable and do not have the skills to interact
with Government online, whether it is ordering a new
birth certificate,
online, whether it is ordering a new birth certificate, whether
it is getting a new passport,
whatever, and where people who are on low
incomes and
and where people who are on low incomes and who are being required
by Work and
incomes and who are being required by Work and Income to
interyacht digital
by Work and Income to interyacht
the Government are unable to. This is creating disadvantage,
it is disenfranchising large tracts of our
population. The
disenfranchising large tracts of our population. The previous
Government really didn't give a stuff.
not you, Mr Speaker, why doesn't me get up and give a speech about why
the
get up and give a speech about why the Government axed the
funding for computers in homes, which was
the only programme funded by that
Government
only programme funded by that Government which was started by the
previous Labour Government...
not you, Mr Speaker, why doesn't he get up and present the evidence as
to how his previous
get up and present the evidence as to how his previous Government was
committed
to how his previous Government was committed to closing
the digital committed to closing the digital
bill that goes to digital transformation but if
you want to transform the country, you have
to take the whole country with
you in order to be effective. If you
are widening the gap and making our
society more
widening the gap and making our society more unequal and
making digital inequality the new
measure of poverty, then that's a fail. This
Government,
of poverty, then that's a fail. This Government, this
Government, this new Government, will not
Government, this new Government,
digital divide and make it a priority. I call Simeon
Simeon Brown. It is great to be able to take a
to take a call on the Electronic Interactions Reform
Interactions Reform Bill. I think one of the great reasons why it
is so good to be able to
talk about this piece of legislation
is because we continue to progress
National's legislative agenda through the House
this evening. While