Clayton Mitchell MP
Spokesperson for labour and industrial relations
20 AUGUST 2015

NZ First Makes Lone Stand for Small Business

New Zealand First’s efforts to protect small businesses from extra costs under the Health and Safety Reform Bill have been ignored.

“We know small and medium sized businesses are finding it hard in the current economic environment, so adding costly health and safety regulations will only add to their burden,” says New Zealand First Labour and Industrial Relations Spokesperson Clayton Mitchell.

“New Zealand First has recommended practical and common sense amendments for this legislation.

“We have eight amendments in total. The three that were rejected yesterday were:

A levy on workers to encourage them to care for safety equipment, so the employer does not have to constantly buy new equipment;
Allowing businesses to take insurance against any potential financial liability;
Protecting the wellbeing and livelihood of spouses in the event of accidental death in a workplace where the owners are both the boss and the worker.

“Our attempts to mitigate the unintended consequences of this legislation has not been supported, but New Zealand First will continue to push for common sense in health and safety regulations,” says Mr Mitchell.

ENDS

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