Hudson Brett: Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHudson Brett: Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 03 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4323. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]BRETT HUDSON (National): It is a delight to stand and speak in this third reading of the bill. As a first-term MP I would just like to note that I am beginning to experience some of the interesting and almost labyrinthine-type parts of the legislative process but within that also seeing the opportunity that affords itself through that process for parties that might start off with differing positions to find some common ground and some means to meet through a consultative process and through compromise. I would just like to congratulate Tracey Martin as colleagues across the House have done on her deep commitment to people in need and particularly to the children whose needs this bill will address. I also congratulate her on her perseverance in working constructively to find some common ground that can be built upon to lead to a solution that will see a very very practical bill come into effect soon one that will bring real assistance to those kin caring environments that are dealing with children in need and one that has leveraged the ability that the select committee process particularly affords to make some headway and reach some common ground.In reviewing the Social Services Committee’s recommendations and hearing colleagues talk about that process what I saw was an ability to reach across a divide and reach convergence. We on the Government side looked at the $10 million that had been earmarked through the White Paper for Vulnerable Children and looked at how we could apply that to the very real and positive changes that Mrs Martin was looking to achieve with her member’s bill. Instead of taking a position of complete confrontation or opposition we were both able to come together and say: “Well how about we take the fund that we have earmarked and set it to the purpose that you have set out? In doing that as we work through that we will work together at an even more targeted and more effective regime but we will be able to put into effect the intent at least Mrs Martin of what it is that you had in mind.”So we reach this point. We have this bill—this bill that will see the discretionary ability of the chief executive to make a ruling on clothing allowances for orphans and unsupported children extend to that situation we are talking about of kin carers and one common example of that as we have heard from both sides of the House is grandparents. So it is with great pleasure that I rise in support of the third reading of this bill.One of the members on this side raised a point about the assistance that the Government had brought in through the Extraordinary Care Fund. I do note that it is true that that fund was helping in making the job of grandparents and extended family members who were raising children easier. It was working in the areas of tutoring orthodontics and in music lessons but it is very true as Mrs Martin pointed out with her member’s bill that it was in fact missing some areas. Children in situations other than being cared for by kin carers were in fact receiving some assistance through the State in the area of clothing allowances in a discretionary move that the chief executive had made. And although we had this Extraordinary Care Fund in place and it was doing a lot of good it still was not necessarily covering every situation of assistance that other children in need were receiving. So it is an extraordinarily positive move to ensure that there is a real parity across the different sorts of caring arrangements.I would note that in the election campaign this Government did make the point that we wanted to open discussions around the whole range of caring for children and the different models of care for instance in parental care for young children and in paid parental care for young children in environments where it may not be either of the biological parents who could be caring for that child—those parents could be back at work. This reaching of consensus and agreement in this area is in fact an example of taking that thinking and putting it into implementation. So I am absolutely delighted that I can stand as a first-term MP in an example of a situation where we have been able to reach across the House and reach a point of agreement and I commend this bill to the House.Bill read a third time.