1. Job Creation and Unemployment—Youth Jobs SchemeRt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSJob Creation and Unemployment—Youth Jobs Scheme1. Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement in the House yesterday in relation to her Government's ready for work" scheme that "sanctions have long been a part of our welfare system and that won't change"?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes and to recap my full statement was "When I was discussing the way that we would roll out this programme we were acknowledging that there's a range of ways in which we could encourage the uptake of the opportunity for employment." I have also acknowledged that sanctions have long been a part of our benefit system and that won't change. Ultimately though this is a Government focused on getting young people into work.Rt Hon Bill English: Does she stand by her other statement with respect to the work schemes that "Our view was that you couldn't compel" people to take up a job?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The quote that I just used was my exact response to that exact same question yesterday. I was talking about how effective some of those measures are. We've said that when we look at our sanctions regime we'll consider that but sanctions will always be part of our benefit system and we're not proposing to change that principle.Rt Hon Bill English: So if a young person is offered say several jobs planting trees in Northland and doesn't take them does she believe that young person has any obligation to take a job offered subsidised by the taxpayer and if they don't take it should they be sanctioned?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Mr English is referring to the status quo but as we said yesterday these proposals are going before a full Cabinet meeting and the focus for us is not neglecting the 70000 young people not in employment education or training. We want to focus on giving them jobs and hope.Rt Hon Bill English: Does she believe—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Right well that's—Mr Jones and Mr Brownlee you probably evened each other out.Rt Hon Bill English: Does she believe New Zealand First's proposed job schemes will work if there are no sanctions for young people who refuse to take up a job?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I've repeatedly said sanctions have long been a part of our welfare system and we're not proposing that that will change.Rt Hon Bill English: Does she believe that New Zealand First's job schemes will work if there are no sanctions for young people who refuse—[Interruption]—to take up a job?Mr SPEAKER: Before I ask the Prime Minister to respond I am going to indicate to New Zealand First that they have lost a supplementary as a result of Mr Jones' latest interjection.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I've answered that question a number of times in a number of different ways but again sanction regimes have long been a part of our benefit system. That won't change. Proposals are coming to Cabinet but I can tell you what won't work. What won't work is trying to explain to this country how you can continue to use excessive sanctions when there are no jobs which was the case under that Government.Rt Hon Bill English: How can young people know what is expected of them if the Prime Minister has at least two and I think three different positions on whether sanctions would be applied if they refuse a job and if those positions are directly contradicted by a senior Minister who said that young people will be compelled to work? If I was a young person wanting to see what expectations there were of me whom should I listen to?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I'm happy to say that the programmes we are proposing are about real jobs with real wages and a future and in industries and regions where we have massive gaps and where there has been massive regional neglect under that Government. We are totally united behind that goal.Rt Hon Bill English: So when Government does consider these proposals next week will it consider those proposals alongside the existing effective schemes T500 in the North and Project 1000 in Hawke's Bay which link young unemployed people directly with employers who are providing real jobs? Why aren't those schemes better than the one proposed by New Zealand First?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Probably only the previous Prime Minister can answer why those schemes didn't help the 76000 young people not in employment education or training.Rt Hon Bill English: When will we know whether the Prime Minister has backed the Greens who want to remove all sanctions and will certainly oppose the introduction of more sanctions or New Zealand First who believe their scheme rightly will work only if there are sanctions on young people who refuse to take the opportunities given to them?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I'm sorry that that member is so confused. The welfare system has long had sanctions. There is no doubt however that under the last Government there was excessive use of those sanctions and that is what we are proposing to review alongside our proposal of actually saying it is not enough to say that young people are hopeless; you need to give them hope and opportunity too."