Salesa Jenny: Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSalesa Jenny: Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 01 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2866. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JENNY SALESA (Labour—Manukau East): I am pleased to take a call on the Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill. The Labour Party strongly supports this bill. May I commend Tracey Martin for bringing this bill to the House and for championing such an important issue something that I am passionate about and an issue that I think is important for this Parliament to address. Children who are orphans or who are unsupported usually go through a lot often very tragic circumstances before they get to the point where they are orphans or they are not supported and they can no longer livewith say their biological parents. For instance both parents might have died in a car accident; or a mother might have died from cancer after suffering for many years leaving behind five children; or as was presented to the Social Services Committee a husband might have taken the life of the wife and the children are left in the care of the grandparents—very very tragic indeed. The State considers kids unsupported when parents are no longer able to support them due to a family breakdown. So the circumstances in which kids get to this point—either being an orphan or being unsupported—is indeed really really tragic. Again I commend you Tracey for bringing a bill that will actually address this issue that will bring parity for how we deal with kids who are orphans or who are unsupported as well as those whom the State already pays the clothing allowance to at the moment.In this bill it will no longer matter if the child is cared for by family or by a kin person. This bill makes sure that children actually get the clothing allowance and I think that we as a society should look after all of our kids but especially those who are in such vulnerable vulnerable states like these kids. Fairness and equity are some of the core core values of the Labour Party and they are some of the reasons why we strongly support this bill. Providing parity for foster children as well as those who are orphans and unsupported is what I think this bill actually does and for that we are in support of it.I was not fortunate enough to sit on the select committee that considered this bill; however in reading the documents that came through from the committee process it states that there are around 8500 families and kin carers who are caring for over 12000 kids in this situation in New Zealand right now—a lot of kids. This bill was first introduced as far as I can see from the paperwork in September 2013 so it has been around for quite a while.I would like to talk about the commencement date which is in clause 2 of this bill. This bill has come back to the House with a new proposed date for commencement. So the commencement clause says that it will not start after it receives the Royal assent not even this year in 2015; it will not even begin next year. It is not until 3 whole years from now in July 2018 that this legislation may come into force after it gets through the third reading. May I just reiterate what my colleague Miss Ardern stated earlier on: the Labour Party is in full support of Jan Logie’s Supplementary Order Paper 70. If I can just quote from it it says: “This Supplementary Order Paper amends clause 2 to change the commencement date of this Bill bringing it forward from 1 July 2018 to 3 months after the date on which it receives the Royal assent.” The Labour Party supports this Supplementary Order Paper and we hope that the Government considers it favourably.If our children are a priority for this Government especially our most vulnerable children and I believe they are then implementing a bill like this one—implementing this on behalf of orphaned and unsupported children—should be a priority now today in 2015 not 3 years from now in July 2018. We believe that if New Zealand really wants the best outcomes for children then we need to invest in and prioritise the policies that focus on our children especially our most vulnerable kids. All children in New Zealand deserve equal opportunities. Mr Chair I would like to thank you and I would like to thank Tracey Martin for bringing this bill to the Committee. The Labour Party is very very pleased to support this bill.