6. Question No. 6—Social DevelopmentHon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Minister for Social DevelopmentQuestion No. 6—Social Development6. Hon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Minister for Social Development: Does she stand by all her Government's policies and actions in relation to the social development portfolio?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development): Fakalofa lahi atu. Yes.Hon Louise Upston: Why are there 9000 more people on jobseeker benefits than a year ago?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: That member knows that the proportion of people that are currently unemployed is exactly the same as what it was at this time last year: 9.4 percent. The actual number increase comes down to population increase in areas like Auckland and Canterbury where there has been a significant population increase. What is incredibly heartening is that in the provinces and regions like Northland we've seen a reduction in unemployed and that goes to show this Government's focus on the regions is working.Hon Louise Upston: Why has there been a 9.6 percent increase of people aged 18 to 24 on the jobseeker benefit?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: That member knows because she would have received the benefit numbers this morning that the actual unemployment rate overall is 9.4 percent which is exactly the same as what it was this time last year. This Government has made no secret of the fact that we are focused on getting people into meaningful and sustainable employment. We're not satisfied with the fact that under the previous Government within 18 months 50 percent of people were returning to benefit. Our focus is on ensuring that people get into sustainable and meaningful employment and that means also having a focus on upskilling and training for our young people.Hon Michael Woodhouse: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a very long answer that did not address the question which was about the unemployment rate increase for 18- to 24-year-olds.SPEAKER: I know the member sort of waved in the general direction of the question right at the end but I don't think she did address it despite a very long answer on other things. Have another go.Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: The actual breakdown I don't have in front of me. However I would like to say that that particular age group is getting a lot of attention from this side of House particularly with our first-year free policy for fees and Mana in Mahi. This is not just for us about pushing people off into the next minimum wage job. It's making sure that they have sustainable meaningful employment to go into and we're focused on making sure that they are upskilled and trained for the job opportunities that we're creating through things like KiwiBuild.Hon Louise Upston: How can the Minister explain that the unemployment rate is the same as a year ago and yet there are 9000 more Kiwis on the jobseeker benefit?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: As I mentioned before the actual proportion of people that are on the benefit is exactly the same—it's 9.4 percent. The increase that the member is referring to is as a result of population growth. If she wants an explanation I can give one example and that is that in Auckland the working age population has increased by 34000 over the last year. The actual proportion of those unemployed is exactly the same as what it was a year ago.Hon Louise Upston: Other than cost of living increases how does she explain the nearly 20000 more hardship grants for food in her Government's first year in office?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I'm really glad that that member has asked that question. All of the evidence that we've been provided with shows us very clearly that the fact is that for the nine years under that side of the House housing was ignored the crisis was denied and the most common reason that people are seeking hardship assistance is because of the cost of housing. I'm really proud to be part of a Government that is finally addressing the number one concern that New Zealanders are faced with. It's long overdue but thank goodness we're here to do it.Hon Louise Upston: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I specifically asked about hardship grants for food and I was quite clear in my question.SPEAKER: Well the Minister can have another go if she wants.Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: OK sure. The number one reason that people are citing for needing to access hardship grants from Work and Income New Zealand is the cost of housing. Just to further elaborate on this recently the Household Incomes Report was released and it showed that after housing costs our most vulnerable families' incomes haven't changed since the 1980s. That is a desperate situation that the previous Government left New Zealand families in and we're doing something to address it.Hon Michael Woodhouse: In respect of the answer to an earlier supplementary question is the Minister telling the House that the next minimum wage job" is not good enough for those on jobseeker support?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: What I'm saying is this side of the House is aspirational for New Zealanders. We want to make sure that more New Zealanders are able to reach their potential. The strategy that was employed by the previous Government was obviously unsuccessful because 50 percent of those who left benefits were back on within 18 months. We're about making sure that families are better off and that they go into sustainable meaningful employment.Hon Louise Upston: Is a person receiving the jobseeker support payment better or worse placed to cope with the increased living costs from this Government's policy than a person in full-time employment?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: We are working with those who come for support from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to ensure that their long-term options are much better off than what they were under the previous Government. We're making sure that when people come to MSD for support they are getting everything that they are eligible for which was not happening under the previous Government.Hon Louise Upston: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was a really clear question about a comparison between the jobseeker support payment and someone in full-time employment around cost of living increases and the Minister seems incapable of answering a clear question.SPEAKER: Well that's not a point of order."