Mathers Mojo: Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMathers Mojo: Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 09 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9190. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MOJO MATHERS (Green): I rise to speak to the third reading of the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill. Today is a sad day forme. It is a sad day because I know firsthand what it is like to experience economic hardship and to have to turn to the State for support. It is a sad day because this bill undermines the core principles of social security which are essential to a fair and just society. It is a sad day because I know that this bill will cause stress harm and suffering to some of the most vulnerable people in our society.Social security is the way that we collectively as a country agree to ensure that all of us have access to a safety net during hard times whether that is because of economic recession a lack of accessible jobs illness or disability or because we are caring for dependent family members. I strongly believe that social security must be based on respect for individual dignity and circumstances provide economic security protect children and empower people to have some control over their lives. This bill does not do that. It instead imposes a patronising and punitive model where benefits are to be handed out to those deemed worthy and sanctions imposed on people who are deemed to be not complying with social obligations that the rest of us do not have to comply with.This model has been tried overseas in the UK where it has caused significant harm and suffering plunging people into a downward spiral and forcing them to steal food just to survive. It is a model that has failed there and it will fail here.We need to remind ourselves that there are people who may never be able to access economic independence for many reasons and that many people will need ongoing Government support not just to survive but to have some quality of life so that they can contribute and participate in society. I fear that this bill will be a disaster for many but most of all for those who have poor health or dependent family members or who are mentally unwell. My biggest concern is for children for forcing families into serious hardship will inevitably cause children harm with lifelong consequences.I would like to affirm the right of every parent to be able to determine which combination and level of whānau and family support parent-led centres playgroups or early childhood education works best to meet their child’s needs. The right to decide what is best for your child should not be taken away from you just because you are on a benefit. If it was really in every child’s best interests to attend early childhood education for 15 hours a week from the age of 3 then the Government would make it mandatory for all children not just for those whose parents are receiving a benefit. The reason the Government does not do that is that it knows that actually many children thrive in a secure home-based environment for their early years and that depriving families of the right to choose this option for their child will cause harm.Above all I would like to affirm the Green Party’s support for a strong social security system that ensures that vulnerable people can access their economic rights and social well-being and make a positive contribution to society. This bill will not achieve that. Therefore the Green Party opposes it.