Moroney Sue: Vulnerable Children Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMoroney Sue: Vulnerable Children Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 17 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18596. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SUE MORONEY (Labour):It is a pleasure to rise and speak on the title and commencement clauses of the Vulnerable Children Bill. Of course the title of the Vulnerable Children Bill probably—I think as we have described throughout this debate—makes it sound like a much more effective and better bill than it in fact is. Although it is worthy of support it certainly does not protect some of the most vulnerable children in our society. I think in the last couple of days—in fact yesterday—that became quite apparent because the Glenn Inquiry was actually telling a story about children being abused in their own homes by people whom they are in loving relationships with and about the harm that that was causing on our society.So although this bill is interesting and useful and will protect some children I think it is important that we note that this applies to and regulates I guess the children’s workforce a little better and protects children in that situation. But sadly what we know in this country—and it is a terrible tragedy in this country; a very very dark and grim thing that happens in our country—is that most of the children who are abused are abused by people whom they are supposed to be in trusting relationships with and also by people who are volunteers in organisations that families ought to be able to trust. So in fact what this bill is dealing with is actually the minority of situations—people in the paid workforce on the front line dealing with children and their involvement with children. Abuse does happen. It should not happen. We want to protect children from that happening but let us not fool ourselves. This is the minority of situations where children are harmed.I was saddened to see the Minister for Social Development on her feet in question time today saying that she would not work with other political parties to actually address the very serious issues that confront this country. I call on the Government: if it really does want to address the issues concerning vulnerable children then it ought to get its own Minister to agree to work in a cross-party approach on this. That is exactly what Labour did when it was in Government. Was it not interesting that the only party that would not participate in a cross-party approach on domestic violence and child abuse was the National Party? That is right. It was Judith Collins at the time actually who declined—refused—to be involved in a cross-party approach on family violence.Hon Judith Collins: Well that’s not true. That’s not true. Why are you making that up?SUE MORONEY: She seems very proud of it but I think she should be ashamed about that actually—she should be absolutely ashamed. The National Party should be ashamed of its Minister’s performance today giving the excuse that she would not work with other parties on this because it was apparently too close to an election. Well what was the excuse in 2006? And what was the excuse in 2007? Now in the year 2014 the National Party is trying to find yet another excuse to not deal with this problem appropriately.Here it is with this bill called the Vulnerable Children Bill—and I take issue with the title of it because it is an attempt to deal with such a minority of offending in this situation and really it should have a title that actually fits the very narrow part of this problem that the Government is attempting to deal with. If it was really attempting to deal with the issues of vulnerable children it would not be in denial over child poverty—it would not be in denial over child poverty—and it would not be in denial over taking a cross-party approach to dealing with domestic violence and violence against children.I think yesterday the Government’s failure to address violence towards women and children became absolutely apparent to every New Zealander—absolutely apparent to every New Zealander—and calling this bill the Vulnerable Children Bill is not going to address the fundamental failure that this Government has had in actually protecting women and children from violence. That has become absolutely clear now. It has become absolutely clear. It is about time that the Government actually realised that it needs to start working with other parties—not only just working with other political parties but it needs to actually start listening to what the social services working in this area are trying to tell it.Earlier today I went and spoke at a panel on election issues for social service providers out in Lower Hutt. Once again the National Party failed to front. I say “Once again” because at the last three political panels I have been on around social services on issues to do with trying to look after some of the most vulnerable children in our society no one from the National Party has fronted. I think there is a theme here. I would not mind betting that there has actually been a deliberate strategy and perhaps a decision at their caucus that they just do not front up to some of these discussions and debates because they are so ashamed. They are so ashamed at their lack of ability to address these issues. The Minister in the chair the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs grins but I cannot think of another reason why on three occasions the National Party has failed to have any candidate—any candidate at all—Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga: Rubbish!SUE MORONEY: Well it is true. The Minister says “Rubbish!” but it happened on the last three occasions. Tonight it was out at Lower Hutt. I think Christopher Bishop is National’s candidate there. He said he was going to turn up then at the last minute said that he unfortunately could not turn up. But that has been happening time after time. I think the last time that there was a TV debate on the issue of inequality Ministers also refused to front on that as well.We are getting a theme here with a bill in front of this Parliament where the Government is using the title of it the Vulnerable Children Bill to try to convince New Zealanders that it is doing something. Yes OK it is doing something but actually this bill—let us make no mistake about it—attempts to address only a minority of offending in this case. That means that the majority of children who are suffering child abuse—whether that be sexual violence physical violence or emotional violence—in this country will not have their issues addressed by this bill at all. They will not have their issues addressed by this bill at all and they face a Government that will not work with other parties or other organisations to get to the bottom of these issues.I am not going to continue any further with this bill because I think the points have been well made. It is sadly an inadequate bill for what it claims to do in its title. It is an opportunity that has been missed by the National Party and still we have increasing levels of violence against women and children in our country.