Robertson Grant: Budget Measures (Financial Support for Newborn Children) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Budget Measures (Financial Support for Newborn Children) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 15 May 2014. Volume:698;Page:17979. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central): Thank you very much Mr Chair. I rise to speak in my very own identity on Part 2 of the Budget Measures (Financial Support for Newborn Children) Bill. Part 2 of this bill brings us to I guess the part of the bill that is somewhat disturbing for members of the Opposition. With Part 1 we are able to at least agree in principle on the question of paid parental leave but when it comes to the changes to the parental tax credit we come to a more difficult and deeper issue.The good news here is the recognition that parents need more support—that parents who are undertaking the job of raising children pretty much whoever they are need support. We all know that the costs that are in front of all parents are great. Having children is something that when it is undertaken parents realise the additional costs. All parents should get that support and that is the problem we have with Part 2 of the bill. It is because a group of parents is being excluded. What Labour decided when we brought out our Best Start policy at the beginning of the year was that we would create a system that would provide support for children up to 1 year of age for everybody who earned up to $150000 a year and we would extend that support for children up to 3 years of age depending upon the circumstances of those parents. That is to support low-income families. That is to support vulnerable children.That is what is missing from Part 2 of this bill: support for the most vulnerable children. What is missing is support for the 14000 parents who are living below the poverty line and the 50000 children who are living below the poverty line. Part 2 of this bill says that those children are excluded and those parents are excluded. The changes to the parental income tax credit do not support those parents.Jacqui Dean: What is the poverty line?GRANT ROBERTSON: Jacqui Dean seems to have a problem with that. Jacqui Dean seems to have a problem with the fact that the Government could have come to the House today and said: “We get it. We get that all parents—all parents—need support.”—all parents need support. But no only those parents whom the NationalGovernment deem valuable get support tonight not the parents who are living below the poverty line not the people who are really struggling to bring up children. They are not deserving parents for the National Government. Once again the National Government is deciding who are the deserving and who are the undeserving.This was an opportunity tonight for the National Government to bring forward to the House some kind of support for all parents or at least most parents but no it chose to exclude—Jacqui Dean: More than Labour did.GRANT ROBERTSON: “More than Labour did.” said Jacqui Dean—more than Labour did. This from the Government that told us that Working for Families was communism by stealth and then adopted it wholesale and takes credit in the House for the benefits of Working for Families. No Jacqui Dean has got it wrong. The National Government has got it wrong tonight. A great opportunity has been missed to lift children out of poverty.One of the disturbing things while listening to the Budget debate today was hearing that 285000 New Zealand children are living in poverty. The National Government skirted round that today. Yesterday in the House John Key denied that that number even existed. Here is a very specific piece of legislation that could have dealt with that very issue and the Government did not do so. I think that is a great shame.I think there could have been amendments to this bill. I know that my colleague Jacinda Ardern who is going to speak in the very near future is interested in putting forward amendments that actually bring this bill into line with Labour’s Best Start policy. What we have got here is half a best start for children—a false start for children.Mike Sabin: Oh!GRANT ROBERTSON: Well no it is. Mike Sabin disagrees. Why exclude 50000 children Mr Sabin? I want Mr Sabin and other National Party members to stand up and tell New Zealanders why it is that 50000 children miss out.