Bennett Paula: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett Paula: General Debate[Sitting date: 10 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9234. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development): How ironic that we have Annette King a member of the previous Labour Government’s Cabinet who has just sat down in her seat. She happened to be one who put blinkers on over the troubles that were going on with the Government Communications Security Bureau which go right back quite frankly to that time.Hon Annette King: No troubles then.Hon PAULA BENNETT: “No troubles then.” she says—“No troubles then at all.” Has that member then read the report which quite clearly slates it right back over a long period of time—when the blinkers were on ignore what is going on head down.Here you have a Government where the Prime Minister himself calls in one of our most senior civil servants to go in and look at what is happening to present what I thought was a very very in-depth report that actually shows what needs to be done and what is most important. Here we have—she has been playing some cards there but now it is time she got into work—what we see as conspiracy theories from the Opposition that quite frankly do not wash when you read the report and you see what needs to be done. But I say to you that it is quite clear that there are no ideas coming from the other side. Those members are frustrated because they are not making any leeway and they have started clutching at straws which is what we are seeing.This week alone to give you an indication we have seen the biggest fundamental changes to welfare that this country has pretty much ever seen. And what have we had from the Opposition? Not one question. Not one question in Parliament about the biggest welfare reforms that are going through Parliament.We get this sort of faux mock anger occasionally. I notice that Mr Twyford there has found his little mock anger so he stands up and does it. I heard various speeches last night. What I do not hear is solutions and what I do not see is any real heart as to what those members would like to see for people. What it is is all this little bit of mock anger but they do not really mean it—if they can be clear—because actually they know that the public is onside. As much as they would like it they know that there are no big protests in the streets and that actually people are not being kicked out unnecessarily. People are getting the sort of support that they need and deserve when they need it but we are balancing expectations and being fair and reasonable.They know that. Quite frankly the Labour Party New Zealand First and the Greens are hearing that out in the community. So they sort of stand up in here and do the odd little belly dance around welfare reforms but they do not really mean it because if they did mean it they would actually be asking questions in the House. They would actually be doing rallies and they would be doing all sorts of other stuff to try to hold us to account. But quite frankly we could talk about their competence in actually getting their message across. I think it is a combination of competence but actually not really believing it because they know that this country knows and really believes that this Government is on the right track when it comes to welfare reforms supporting people and getting stuff right.Andrew Williams: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister is not speaking on the subject of this debate. She is talking about—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson): No the member will sit down. That is a frivolous interjection and I am almost tempted to let the Minister start again—almost.Hon PAULA BENNETT: Are we not in the general debate?The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson): It is a general debate.Hon PAULA BENNETT: It is a general debate Mr Williams. If you are going to be in this place keep up—yeah? What has actually happened is the urgent debate has stopped and we are now in the general debate where we can traverse—and this is the problem. I mean I am 4½ years in the job. We have now made the biggest fundamental changes that we have ever made to welfare and we are seeing more people get better results.I do not know whether everyone saw theNew Zealand Herald this morning but we have the story of a young man who is actually because of our welfare changes seeing a change in his life. So at 22 years of age he has had it a bit rough at times with four children and he has not been in work before and had the sorts of opportunities he needed. When the one who was under his care was turning 5 we said to him that it was time he looked at work and what could happen. An automotive industry in Palmerston North took him on. They brag about what a great worker he is. He talks about what a difference that has made to his and his children’s lives and how he is turning round his life. That is thanks to the support he has got and the clear expectations about what he can do for his family. Quite frankly Labour does not know what to do with this.Here we are in the general debate—it is Wednesday and this Parliament is sitting—we hear there is the biggest scandal ever and we have how many people sitting on the Opposition benches? You know pretty much none. The cameras will be scanning and they will see that actually Labour’s heart is not in actually standing up as the Opposition. It has been abysmal. It has been a bit of a joke. Those people have to be really willing to stand up and be counted and see themselves as the party that holds—what we are seeing at the moment is a real balance. We are seeing people getting into jobs—and we are.We would like to actually have the “Where are the jobs? Nothing’s happening.” They talk it all down and make it doom and gloom saying: “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened.” I see their headlines where they try to put them out where they say “... biggest boot in guts since ‘91 cuts” “Welfare reforms mark the end of social contract” “Mama is opposed to this all the way” and “Kids need a Government that cares not punishment”. But none of that means anything not even for the paper it is printed on because Opposition members know that this is fair they know that this is reasonable and they know that fundamentally this is making a difference to the families that are most vulnerable in this country. They will see this having the kind of heart—Phil Twyford: You’re wrong and you’ll be gone in 2014. You’ll be gone.Hon PAULA BENNETT: I challenge that member to stand up and campaign on running this stuff back. I challenge that member to go around this country saying that Labour will run back on all of the proposed changes that have now happened and the welfare reforms that have gone through. What has actually happened is we have seen fundamental changes and a difference in families’ lives. We believe in them. They believe in their own abilities. They do not really get into the hand-wringing victimisation stuff that Labour tries to do. We are making a difference and we are seeing results for it.