Wagner Nicky: Child Support Amendment Bill (No 4) — In Committee 
Wagner Nicky: Child Support Amendment Bill (No 4) — In Committee 
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NICKY WAGNER (National) 
: 
 As members have heard National opposes the Child Support Amendment Bill (No 4). Although in theory the bill is designed to make sure that parents meet their obligations in terms of child support we do not believe it sends that message. The whole issue of child support is extremely emotive and complex. It probably involves the most important and emotional flashpoints in one’s life: children broken relationships money love hurt and being alone. Within that heady cocktail it is not easy to conclude what is fair and what is not fair when it comes to child support. But I do not believe that this bill is much help. 
I believe that one of the most difficult things Parliament has to do when creating legislation is to identify the behaviour that it is trying to encourage. In this case it is straightforward: Parliament wants to encourage the conscientious payment of child support by liable parents. So logically we should reward those parents who pay consistently and penalise those parents who do not pay. That is plain common sense and we all understand it. But in this legislation Labour is suggesting that we write off half a billion dollars’ worth of penalties for parents who have not met their responsibilities. Let us get this clear. The bill does not suggest that people who have paid consistently and well should get a discount for doing the right thing—absolutely not. Labour is suggesting that if someone does the wrong thing then he or she should get the reward. 
The fact that this Government needs to write off this debt at all reflects incredibly badly on its financial management and its slack attitude to the control of money. Every small business knows just how hard one has to work to collect debt because however well intentioned people are there are always competing demands on their money and unless debts are really closely monitored and consistently collected they grow. Many small businesses have gone bankrupt because they have not collected their debts. In this case the Government has stood idly by as the child support debt has ballooned as we have already heard from $400 million to $1 billion over the last 5 years. 
Now the Government’s strategy in collecting that debt is to write off $500 million. As many of us have already said we struggle to understand the logic of that argument. I am not alone in that. The Rt Hon Winston Peters in puzzling over this issue has already asked why if someone is not penalised for failing to pay his or her debts that person would bother to pay them. 
Hon Member 
: Why is he talking on it? 
NICKY WAGNER 
: I think that is a very good question. At that time David Cunliffe replied: “because parents should love their children”. I think that is a good answer but it is not very realistic in the face of a billion dollars’ worth of debt. Then Mr Cunliffe continued: “because this Government is not and has never said it will be wiping off all penalties—”. Yeah right Mr Cunliffe—only $500 million is being written off! And that is a real slap in the face for responsible hard-working conscientious parents. When liable parents do the right thing nobody gives them another thought but if they do the wrong thing—run out on their kids or skip the country—then old muggins the Government will bail them out. That is great lawmaking! 
Unlike Labour National believes that Parliament must send a clear consistent and an unambiguous message which is that parents are responsible for the financial welfare of their children because it is only fair that all kids get a decent start in life. National will work long and hard to develop a consistent and an equitable payment regime.