Moroney Sue: Education Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Moroney Sue: Education Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
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SUE MORONEY (Labour) 
: 
 There is a long-held saying that timing is everything. I think the Education Amendment Bill is a case in point that timing really is everything. I mention that because when the Education and Science Committee considered this bill it did not know what we know today about what will be happening to the early childhood sector and its funding. I do not know whether many speakers have alluded to this yet but much of the bill—not all of it but much of it—applies to early childhood education as well as compulsory education. 
I say at the outset that Labour supports the bill at the third reading because the police-vetting procedures in the bill are the right thing to do particularly in respect of early childhood education. Parents entrust their very young children to that system. It is important that Parliament makes sure that the system has all the safety checks that need to be in place. So Labour supports the bill from that perspective. 
But now that we know that the Government plans budget cuts for early childhood education it is hard to know how the sector will afford to resource the extra requirements that this bill puts on it. The extra— 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: They’re free. That is how. 
SUE MORONEY 
: The Minister seems to think that those requirements are free. She does not understand that administrative requirements take time and cost the sector. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: Well they pay for them now. They don’t have to. 
SUE MORONEY 
: OK the Minister of Education says she will pay for them now but she has already allowed her colleagues to take $57 million from the sector. Earlier this week we learnt that the childcare allowance has been changed so that $57 million can come out of that sector. Government funding will be cut to the tune of $57 million over 4 years. That will affect 11000 families. The Minister for Social Development and Employment had official advice given to her in a Cabinet paper that that measure would reduce the amount of funding that providers in the sector would receive. So before we even get to the cuts that Anne Tolley has signalled for early childhood education we see cuts to the tune of $57 million which is money that providers will not be able to use to implement the types of procedures in this bill. 
So we already know that funding for that sector is in trouble. But it is about to get worse. I would feel much more comfortable supporting this bill in the third reading if the Government would come clean on what its plans are for budget cuts to early childhood education. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: Be patient. 
SUE MORONEY 
: The Minister is saying “Be patient.” That is a terrible message for the families of this country. They know that they now face some cost increases in early childhood education but they do not know what they are. I am not sure whether the Minister understands the pressure that families are under. Families have been speaking to me about their concerns about cuts to the 20 hours of free early childhood education or whatever the changes might be and they have told me that they budget carefully every week. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: 3 weeks. 
SUE MORONEY 
: I tell the Minister that they budget going forward as well and I think the Minister needs to understand. I know of families that tell me they have a 2-year-old turning 3 during the course of this year and they have already budgeted for what they will do when the 2-year-old turns 3 because that child’s childcare arrangements and early childhood education reduce when he or she turns 3. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: They’ll just have to wait and see. 
SUE MORONEY 
: I say to the Minister that that is not good enough. It really is not good enough because families are budgeting on a week-by-week basis for what they will spend on food mortgage repayments or rent clothing and childcare and early childhood education. However all the Minister can say is that “They’ll just have to wait.” Well I say to the Minister that that is not good enough. And what are they waiting for? They are waiting to be told how this Government will increase the costs to those families. That is what they are waiting for. I say to the Minister that I am sure that they are holding their breath with glee! 
When Anne Tolley was National’s spokesperson on education and was on the campaign trail she promised that there would be no increase in fees that the fee controls would stay the same. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: That’s right—for 20 hours. 
SUE MORONEY 
: She also said that there would be no change to the subsidies for early childhood education. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: Absolutely. For 20 hours. 
SUE MORONEY 
: So she is now giving a guarantee again in this House that there will be no cut to the subsidies for that sector and that there will be no change to the fee controls. We look forward to that being honoured in the Budget. 
The promise has already been broken by her colleague Paula Bennett the Minister for Social Development and Employment. The subsidy levels for the childcare allowance have already been changed. That will increase the costs of families receiving that allowance. The Minister of Education can use all the weasel words she wants but she gave the impression to the constituency and to those parents and families that a National Government would not tamper with early childhood education. That is the impression they were given. Many of those parents voted for National because they believed it. They trusted National and took it at its word and those parents will feel betrayed if their costs increase as a result. They will feel betrayed—and justifiably feel betrayed—if their early childhood education costs increase because that certainly was not the impression that she gave prior to the election. It was certainly not the impression that the current Prime Minister John Key gave prior to the election. We look forward to those members honouring that commitment when the Budget comes on 20 May. 
It is very difficult to support this bill at its third reading because Labour members know that it adds costs on to the early childhood education sector but we do not know what cuts will be made to its funding. It is hard for Labour to be clear that this legislation is doable practical and something that the sector can afford. 
I was at a conference for early childhood educators earlier today in Christchurch and already the sector is concerned about its ability to deal with children with special needs and disabilities because of the lack of resources that already hampers that issue. Representatives of the sector are already saying that even as things stand now without any of the National Government’s cuts having been made they are struggling to resource and to look after children with disabilities and special needs. I heard many troubling stories that in order to make the resources fit centres were quite illegally and unlawfully turning away children with special needs and disabilities. That is the situation that the sector already faces. If the Government reduces the sector’s income even further by cutting its funding not only children with special needs and disabilities will be turned away but also many other children. We are inflicting costs on that sector through the very bill that is before us. 
Finally I want to move briefly from the early childhood education sector to the compulsory education sector. This bill does many things that improve the Government’s ability to make choices to help failing schools. I visited Fraser High School in Hamilton last week. It has been subject to statutory management for just under a year. I was really pleased to hear the school report that it is now about to plan its board of trustees election process so that it can move out of statutory management and back into a situation where the community has control of the school. I congratulate Fraser High School. I know that it will have a tough year but as a local member of Parliament I am right behind the school to support it in the very tough year that it faces. I wish Fraser High School all the best. I hope that Fairfield College and St Andrews Middle School—it was announced just this week that it is moving to statutory management—which are also in Hamilton can follow in the footsteps of Fraser High School and work their way towards getting back boards of trustees. Thank you.