Moroney Sue: Child and Family Protection Bill — First Reading 
Moroney Sue: Child and Family Protection Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:660;Page:8837] 
SUE MORONEY (Labour) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to rise and speak to the first reading of the Child and Family Protection Bill. Labour supports the bill but does so with some misgivings because we think this is an opportunity missed. 
The bill is very important and I certainly wish the select committee members well in their deliberations. I know that in deliberating on this bill they will hear many heart-wrenching stories. They will hear some facts and some information that will be difficult for them and for officials to comprehend and to deal with but hearing those stories will be incredibly important in terms of making the bill the best legislation that it can be. Labour already knows that this bill is not the best that it can be. It is a reasonable start but we are deeply disappointed that while this bill is being promoted the Domestic Violence Reform Bill which had been prepared by the previous Labour Government still languishes on the Order Paper. In fact that bill would address the issues contained in the Child and Family Protection Bill as well as many other bills. 
I will spend some time pursuing the other issues. It is appropriate that we debate this bill today as today the lobby group It’s Still Not OK took the opportunity to brief the Government on work that it believes the Government should be pursuing through legislative means on the issue of domestic violence. Sadly not many of those issues are covered by this bill but some of them are covered in the bill that sits languishing on the Order Paper. The Government has the opportunity right now to bring forward and debate that much more comprehensive bill which would address some of the issues of the lobby group that has been to see the Government. I hear the Government making some supportive noises about the recommendations that the group has made yet the Government has an opportunity right now to address some of the recommendations that the group has brought forward. A bill already sitting on the Order Paper which could be debated right now is stronger than the one we have before us and it would address some of those issues. 
I have not had a lot of time to have a look at the report that the group delivered to the Government; I have had access to it only over the last few hours. The group is mainly made up of women who are survivors of domestic violence. They were looking for someone to discuss their concerns with and interestingly when they approached the Ministry of Women’s Affairs they were shuffled off. That is appalling. It is a great shame. I would like the Minister of Women’s Affairs to take a call on this debate. So many times I have heard her say that family violence and domestic violence are a priority for her ministry yet when this very important lobby group went to see her ministry they could find no one. I will quote from the recommendations in the group’s report: “Women’s Affairs: We approached this department first when looking for someone to discuss our concerns with. There was no one who could discuss our issues with us. We were referred to the Ministry of Social Development.” That is a poor response from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Its Minister claims that she sees family violence as a top priority for her ministry yet it was not interested to hear what this particular lobby group had to say. So that is something that I would like the Government to resolve. Clearly domestic violence affects many more women than men. More often than not women are the victims and men are the perpetrators. On the odd occasion it happens the other way round but let us not fool ourselves for a minute: the gender analysis is very very clear on this issue. It is mainly women and it certainly is in the main women who end up losing their lives as a result of extreme acts of domestic violence. 
The It’s Still Not OK report talks about the group’s experiences as women who have suffered at the hands of people whom they thought loved them. It is an interesting observation that all of them found that Women’s Refuge singularly provided them with the support to leave behind domestic violence. I reflect on that and on their observation that Women’s Refuge is underfunded. Certainly in the area that I come from in Hamilton it has been significantly underfunded by this Government— 
Jo Goodhew 
: The Community Response Fund has had tens of thousands of dollars. Have you not heard about that? 
SUE MORONEY 
: The Community Response Fund? OK. Jo Goodhew thinks that the Community Response Fund has fixed the problem. Well I am sorry to give that member a dose of reality but it has not fixed the problem at all. 
Jo Goodhew 
: You clearly haven’t talked to people in women’s refuges. 
SUE MORONEY 
: If the member would care to listen to the story of Te Whakaruruhau the Maori women’s refuge in Hamilton then she might learn something about the very real situation that is happening on the ground. In this particular situation the women’s refuge in Hamilton had the money that other women’s refuges have but also they had additional funding brought about by the previous Labour Government through Te Puni Kokiri. 
Jo Goodhew 
: They’ve had $1.6 million extra. 
SUE MORONEY 
: I wish the member would listen to the facts. The Hamilton women’s refuge had additional money to provide a proper service. Every time the police were called to a domestic violence incident they were accompanied by a women’s refuge worker. That was trialled in Hamilton. The Labour Government gave additional funding to the Hamilton women’s refuge to trial that very successful pilot. As a result there has not been a domestic violence - related death in our city for some years since that service was instigated. 
Jo Goodhew 
: I don’t see what that’s got to do with the extra $1.6 million that National has provided to Women’s Refuge. 
SUE MORONEY 
: Well I am sorry but if that member does not see what having a successful pilot that has stopped domestic violence deaths in my city has to do with the issue then she is missing the issue altogether. 
When the Te Puni Kokiri money finished it was to be replaced by the Pathways to Partnership funding that the Labour Government had put in place. When the election happened and National came in and took away the Pathways to Partnership funding then so went the money that that women’s refuge depended on to provide a proper service in terms of helping the victims of domestic violence. What has been the outcome of that? They have actually seen a funding shortfall of some $400000. As a result of a National Government being elected the Hamilton women’s refuge is $400000 worse off in terms of providing that service. 
Hon Paula Bennett 
: That is not true. 
SUE MORONEY 
: That is true and that Minister knows it. The Minister for Social Development and Employment knows this because she has actually been told this information by Women’s Refuge. It meant that they had to make redundant 14 staff members. They also had to stop leasing some of the properties that they were using to keep women safe in the community. With that funding shortfall of $400000 14 staff members were made redundant. But those 14 staff members are so committed to dealing with the issue of domestic violence that they came back and volunteered their time over Christmas. They knew that rates of domestic violence over Christmas were going to be particularly bad particularly in an economic recession for our community. Out of the goodness of their hearts—even though they had been made redundant because that Government took away their Pathways to Partnership funding—they came back and volunteered and kept that service going over Christmas. That is what people do when they really care about the issue of domestic violence. 
I call on the Government not only to pass this legislation but also to deal with the recommendations that the lobby group came to talk to them about today. Part of doing that would be to actually proceed with the Domestic Violence Reform Bill that was put forward by Labour. Let us not play politics about this. Yes Labour came up with that superior piece of legislation but it is on the Order Paper so the Government should pick it up and run with it. I also urge the Government to sort out the situation in Hamilton. I am really proud that my city has not had a domestic violence - related death since the Hamilton women’s refuge started implementing this very good programme. I do not want to say to members in a few months’ or a few weeks’ time that I told them so. Not having that service in place will put women at risk. It puts women at risk. I think the Government should be not only passing this legislation which we support but also filling in the gaps of the other legislation on the Order Paper and making sure that Te Whakaruruhau the Hamilton women’s refuge is funded appropriately.