Borrows Chester: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Borrows Chester: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:665;Page:12792] 
CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Chair. Tena koutou e te Whare. Kia ora mai tatou tena tatou katoa. I rise to take a slot in this debate on unemployment—or employment whichever way we look at it depending on whether one’s glass is half empty or half full. 
We have done a lot of work with the unemployment sector. We are set on turning around some things. Bearing in mind the situation that we find ourselves in with the New Zealand economy having gone into recession a number of years before the international recession hit the challenges have been difficult. We currently have just over 60000 people on the unemployment benefit as at May 2010 compared with 45000 in May 2009 which is a 31 percent increase in the past year. 
The challenge of unemployment are very very significant. But we are making that picture a little bit better by making some changes and providing some incentives and by putting together some packages for employers significant corporations and non-governmental organisations who are working together to assist people who find themselves in the situation of being unemployed. There are times which are cyclical where it will be more difficult for people to find employment. There will be other times of course when things will be easier. But we know that there are people out there who are very much interested in finding work. 
To its credit the previous Government managed to in good times reduce the level of unemployment right down to about 3.5 percent which was a very good situation to be in. When the cycle went around we knew that it would get more and more difficult to keep unemployment down. At the time that Labour took over Government in 1999 about 500 extra jobs a week were coming into the workforce and that trend sped up over the time that Labour was in Government. But unfortunately the wheels got a little wobbly and things started trending down. In the 12 months to March 2010 nearly 50000 people left the unemployment benefit and got into work. That is around half of all unemployment benefit cancellations. So things are looking good and positive. 
We are not at all trying to minimise our obligations especially towards people who find it difficult to find work towards 18 to 24-year-olds and towards Maori and Pacific Islanders who unfortunately are within demographics that have traditionally been overrepresented in unemployment statistics. We certainly do not shirk our responsibility to work hard to give them the opportunity to get into work. 
This Government has invested an extra $285 million in social development responding to the recession. That is a significant amount of money. Some $91 million is being focused on young people providing 12000 Job Ops as covered by the previous speaker Jo Goodhew 3000 Community Max places and 2500 extra places in the Limited Service Volunteers. It has been a real joy to visit some of those Limited Service Volunteers programmes to see the work that they are doing and to see the level of work readiness that they get young people up to. 
I am reminded of a young man from my electorate who appeared in court. He had been in and out of trouble for some time and he pushed Judge Rob Murfitt pretty much to breaking point when he was about to head off to jail. His lawyer made a plea for the judge to allow him to be remanded on bail so that he could attend a Limited Service Volunteers course. Being the creative judge that he is Judge Murfitt—unfortunately he is soon to leave Taranaki and head back to his home stomping ground of Canterbury which is a big loss for Taranaki—asked this guy how much he really wanted to go into the Limited Service Volunteers. The young fellow said “Heaps.” So the judge got the sergeant to drop off the young fellow outside of town at Normanby. He said: “OK I’ll give you 45 minutes to get back to court. If you get back to court then you can be remanded.” So the young man did exactly that. He turned up in court with his boots off and his feet looking a bit sore and tired. He was put on bail and he was allowed to attend the Limited Service Volunteers course which he did. He then joined the army and did his basic training. He is soon to return from his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. There is creativity within the community and there is creativity within Government. 
Vote agreed to.