Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:625;Page:20454] 
11.  
MOANA MACKEY (Labour) 
 to the  
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What is the Government doing to help young people into employment and training? 
Hon RICK BARKER (Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 We have put in place many initiatives to get young people off benefits and into work or training programmes that help them become successful contributors to society with a career. This Government has brought back apprenticeships; now there are over 7175 apprentices and we expect to have 8500 by June. This Government has established industry training; there are now over 139000 people upskilling themselves. We have introduced the Gateway high school programme which builds a bridge between school and work and we are opening with Work and Income the Youth Transitions Service in 14 locations. We have done a great deal. 
Moana Mackey 
: How effective has that been in reducing youth unemployment in New Zealand? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: Very effective. There has been a drop in youth unemployment in New Zealand of about 70 percent. I have a graph here: under National the blue side the line is going up and under Labour the red side it is continuously going down. Where there were 10 young people on the unemployment scrap heap while National was in power there are just three today. In April 1999 under National 45054 young people were on the unemployment scrap heap; today there are just 13000. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would members please be quiet. Would the Minister please repeat the answer to the question so that we can all hear it. [ 
Interruption 
] Well then please be quiet! 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: We have been very effective. As members can see— 
Dr Don Brash 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The graph that the Minister produced was designed to incite disorder in the House. It is clearly a grossly misleading graph about unemployment that was very carefully chosen to show the point the Minister is trying to make. It is a very incomplete graph. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I thank the member. We have had many visual aids in the House today—apples charts and other charts. That in itself has not been cause for disorder though you may have depicted it so. I ask the Minister to please answer the question. 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: The Government has been very effective. The number of young people on the unemployment benefit has dropped by 70 percent since April 1999. Where there were 10 young people out of work there are now three. This graph amply demonstrates it: under National up until April 1999 the number of youth unemployed was rising; under Labour it has gone down. Where there were 45000 young people unemployed in the period ended April 1999 there has now been a drop of 31805. Just 13000 young people are on the dole. Youth unemployment has dropped dramatically. In Canterbury—if Mr Brownlee would like to know—it has plummeted 82 percent; in the East Coast my area 83 percent; in Nelson 89 percent; and in Madam Speaker’s area Tauranga a staggering 96 percent. That is a fantastic job. 
Judith Collins 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I seek leave for the Minister now to have the opportunity to explain why sickness and invalids benefits have gone up 39 percent under his Government. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. Would the member please sit down. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I just want to draw your attention to a possible inconsistency. You sought that the House be quiet and asked the Minister to answer the question whereupon he took approximately 4¾ minutes to give a speech. 
Hon Member 
: It was not that long. 
Rodney Hide 
: Well that member might want to call out but I would not. The point is this. When patsy questions get asked of this Government quietness is demanded and a Minister can give a 5-minute speech in answer. When Opposition members ask questions about important matters of the day any old answer does and one certainly does not hear the Speaker of this House say—as you did with Mr Rick Barker just now on a patsy question—that the Minister is to answer the question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order but that is also an accusation that the Chair is not conducting the affairs of this House in a fair and impartial way. I would therefore ask the member to stand withdraw and apologise to the Chair. 
Rodney Hide 
: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. My point was that there is a danger of this. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: There may well be a danger but it has not taken place. 
Rodney Hide 
: Do I get to finish the point of order or are you going to interrupt? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I ask you to withdraw and apologise for that remark Mr Hide; you are making the same point that has already been ruled on. 
Rodney Hide 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Now does the member have a new point of order? 
Rodney Hide 
: Well actually I do. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Please then give it to the House. 
Rodney Hide 
: Is it the Speaker’s position that when a member is giving a point of order it is OK for the Speaker to use her position to talk over the top of him or her? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: It is certainly OK as you put it for the Speaker to be able to rule when she has ruled on a point of order that it should not be raised again. That is what I was doing in that particular instance. 
Marc Alexander 
: Is the Minister in any meaningful sense concerned that of the 2342 young people who received an independent youth benefit in the year ended 30 September 2004 77 percent of them graduated on to an adult benefit according to answers from his office to written questions; and what specific steps is he taking to avoid and stop the independent youth benefit from becoming the dole with training wheels? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: The member will be delighted to know that the number of people on the independent youth benefit has fallen yet again. It is down to 1944 as of March 2005. The member will be delighted to know that more of these young people are moving directly on to employment than have done in the past. I seek leave to table the graph that I referred in my presentation. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that graph. Is their any objection? There is objection. It will not be tabled. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The National Party might reconsider its position if the Minister was able to say whether he coloured in the graph himself. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I thank the member for his contribution.