Shanks Katrina: Social Security Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Shanks Katrina: Social Security Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:640;Page:10049] 
KATRINA SHANKS (National) 
: 
 I rise to speak to the Committee stage of the Social Security Amendment Bill. This bill amends the original Social Security Act 1964 which was the principal Act. In fact the 1964 Act consolidated and amended the Social Security Act of 1938 and its amendments. In essence the title “Social Security” has been consistently applied from 1938 until today in 2007. However we must consider whether the title is as relevant now as it was then in 1938. 
In short the 1938 Act provided for the payment of superannuation benefits and other benefits designed to safeguard the people of New Zealand from disabilities arising from age sickness widowhood orphanhood unemployment and some other things. It goes on to say that it will provide a system whereby medical and hospital treatment will be made available to persons requiring such treatment and provide such other benefits as may be necessary to maintain and promote the health and general welfare of the community. Thus the 1938 Act was considered “social security”. Let me fast track to 2007. The general policy statement in the explanatory note states: “It puts into effect the Working New Zealand: Work-Focused Support package of proposals to reform the social support system.” So we have now changed from “social security” to “social support”. 
The objectives of the new bill are to “increase opportunities for people to participate in the labour market where work is an appropriate outcome; and [to] continue to provide social and financial support for people with temporary or long-term barriers to work.” The fact is that there is significant change between the Act of 1938 and the bill of 2007 and their relevance to where we are today in our society. The original Act that provided social security was directed to those people of New Zealand who were disabled due to age sickness widowhood or orphanhood. But now we use words such as “increased opportunities to enter the labour market where work is an appropriate outcome”. Somewhere along the way we have lost the focus of what social security is about. Social security is now about the acceptance of those who choose a lifestyle of not entering the workforce in some instances. Has our society moved so far from that objective in this bill that it has to be to begin the movement towards a work-focused system for some people who we know can go back to work but choose not to? I believe we have moved away from providing a safety net for those in need through sickness age and circumstances beyond their control. We should be questioning how an intergenerational choice not to work has become so acceptable to us. 
I reviewed the assistance provided by our social security system and there are 45 grants allowances and benefits available. In many cases a person can apply for at least half a dozen of these allowances. Let me give an example. A person who has a family may be eligible for: childcare subsidy out-of-school care and recreation subsidy family assistance recoverable assistance payment child disability allowance advance payment of benefit home help temporary additional support care supplement and the special-needs grant. That is a total of 10 grants benefits or allowances for which the family may be eligible. This bill is right in saying the objective has moved to social support. This bill takes away a person’s independence of the State and the ability to stand on his or her own two feet. The legislation no longer provides an invaluable safety net but introduces a level of interference in people’s lives. Instead of just getting on and living they have to justify to a Government agency what they are doing how they are doing it and how often they are doing it. They are losing choices in their lives. They are justifying to strangers what they are doing in their homes. 
This legislation has moved significantly since 1938 from social security to social support. Our expectations for people’s contributions to our society have been watered down. The State now plays a major role in many people’s lives. Independence and the desire to help themselves have been slowly eroded. With this erosion comes a state of dependence: a lowering of expectations and the standard of living and eventually a lack of self-esteem and confidence. 
This bill legislates for things that most New Zealanders presumed Work and Income already did—that is helping New Zealanders into work.