The bill also clarifies provisions in health and safety laws
A bill that is intended to bolster paid parental leave benefits has passed its first reading.
The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No.3) includes provisions that improve flexibility for non-biological parents serving as primary carers for their children, according to Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden.
“It includes a change that will help people who have taken on the care of a child unexpectedly,” she explained. “Currently people are required to stop working when they become a primary carer to access parental leave payments”.
van Velden highlighted a case in which a man had been informally caring for a child alongside his partner; on receiving final parenting orders, the man resigned from his job to become the primary carer. However, on giving his six weeks' notice, he was denied parental leave payments because he did not take parental leave or stop working since the day he became the primary carer.
“This is a small, technical change that will make a huge impact on affected Kiwi families and diverse parenting arrangements, such as caring for extended family. This change can be made now to improve the scheme and remove unnecessary and unintended stress for people who find themselves in this situation”, said van Velden.
In addition to parental leave benefits, the bill also clears up the current requirements for highest-risk industries such as mining, chemicals, or petroleum when it comes to informing WorkSafe about safety-critical equipment or process failure; the law specifies that such incidents are notifiable even if there was no direct imminent danger to individuals.
The bill also limits the risk of unjustified delays before parties obtain notice from WorkSafe in relation to any enforcement action and are enabled to file private prosecution “where no enforcement action or prosecution is being taken”. The regulator will need to make reasonable efforts to determine if a relevant regulator or regulatory agency is taking or intends to take enforcement action, rather than needing to contact over 100 entities, van Welden indicated.
Furthermore, the bill will streamline the invoicing process for ACC CoverPlus Extra customers, allowing them to receive all their levies for the year in a single invoice. This change is expected to improve administrative efficiency, the equity in levy collection, and boost the ACC customer experience.
“I want to make sure businesses and organisations are focused on addressing the things that cause harm to workers. They should not be caught up in unnecessary steps or trying to interpret and navigate complex or perplexing health and safety rules and regulations”, van Velden said. “That is why I am undergoing a wide-ranging public consultation on health and safety, to see where the issues lie. In the meantime, this bill clears up some of the existing legislative provisions, which is necessary to ensure efficient regulatory systems. Collectively, these small changes will make it easier for Kiwi families to understand the law and comply with government requirements”.
