Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeArdern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 29 January 2014. Volume:696;Page:15616. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) to thePrime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that “I want to see every one of our children getting the very best start to life. They deserve nothing less”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes.Jacinda Ardern: Does he believe that parents who are eligible for paid parental leave are the only ones who would benefit from extra support when their baby first arrives?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No. I think there are people who enjoy the parental tax credit although Labour is scrapping that unfortunately.Jacinda Ardern: Can he confirm that those who are eligible for the current parental tax credit which Labour would replace with the Best Start payments would as a result receive support for 52 weeks instead of 8 weeks and would be markedly better off?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: There is absolutely no question that those people who currently get $1200 under Labour’s plan would get more money. That is not the argument. But David Cunliffe—your leader—said that 59000 families will get $60 a week for 52 weeks of the year. It is just plain wrong. Only 19000 will and no shaking of the head and smiling will actually get her leader through what the press gallery now knows—that your leader is tricky.Jacinda Ardern: Why does he agree with the principle of universalism for our national superannuation but not for the first year of a baby’s life?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: There is a range of different issues involved in that and we will see what National’s response will be in the fullness of time. But what I think is becoming quite clear—and maybe that explains the furious text messages on the plane from the member on Friday—Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is a point of order. It will be heard in silence.Grant Robertson: The Prime Minister was asked a direct question and he has not in the period of time he has been standing up so far answered it. Under the Standing Orders he is required to address that question. It was not particularly politically loaded but it was a very direct question.Mr SPEAKER: The difficulty I have is I actually did not hear the question fully and part of that was because of a large barrage of noise coming mainly from both front benches. I am going to ask Jacinda Ardern to ask that question again.Jacinda Ardern: Thank you Mr Speaker. Why does he agree with the principle of universalism for our national superannuation but not for the first year of a baby’s life?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Because there would be families that earn an enormous amount of money and taxing a family that has a 3-year-old or a 4-year-old and earns $49000 a year and giving that money to people who earn a million does not make sense.Jacinda Ardern: Does he stand by his Government’s claim that Working for Families has helped families stay afloat; if so does he therefore also agree that increasing that support for low-income families with preschool children would also have a positive impact?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: It might. It depends on a range of circumstances but firstly it depends on how it is funded. The member is basically arguing the case that there is a magic $1.5 billion. There is not. She is arguing that her leader did not say that 59000 would all get $60 a week for 52 weeks of the year. He did. What the member is demonstrating is she might understand the policy and she might have been furiouslytexting her leader on Friday but he does not understand the policy which is why—Jacinda Ardern: What are you talking about?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well we all know do we not?