Lee Melissa: Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill — Second ReadingText is subject to correctionLee Melissa: Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 07 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14511. Text is subject to correction.]MELISSA LEE (National): It is a great pleasure to rise in support of the second reading of the Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill. I would like to reflect on the speech from the previous speaker from the Opposition Phil Twyford on the bill. What a contribution that was. That was really rich coming from that member who belongs to a party that could be classed only as the slum landlord that did nothing for this sector for 9 years on the Treasury benches when it was in Government. As we all know the old model of massive State housing estates does not actually work. That is why we need to make changes to this model. We should not be putting all of our eggs into one basket but that is precisely the problem with the way housing assistance has been delivered to those people who need it most in this country. We need to diversify the way we deliver housing assistance and we are going to be providing the best service to New Zealanders. That is what this bill is actually addressing.This bill is going to make fundamental and welcome changes to the way the Government delivers housing assistance to those who actually need it by letting community housing providers play a bigger role. We have seen worldwide how community housing providers do a better job meeting those needs because they provide a wraparound service for their clients. Just take a look internationally—New Zealand is lagging in the community housing sector. We have less than 5 percent of social housing provided by the community sector. Compare this with Australia where it is actually about 20 percent. Compare it to the UK where it is actually about 60 percent of social housing. That is precisely why I am excited by this social housing reform bill which will make a substantive shift in the Government’s housing assistance from a State housing to a social housing model.Let us talk a little bit about the detail of the bill. Before I get along I would like to talk about the misinformation that Mr Phil Twyford was actually talking about. I think he mentioned something about how Labour cannot support a bill that turfs out 80-year-old people from their homes. I mean what a bunch of hogwash. It is a complete misconception. It is complete misinformation because the Social Services Committee made a number of technical and substantive amendments to the bill. The committee recommended allowing the Minister of Housing to identify people who will not be subject to reviewable tenancies. It specifically mentions vulnerable elderly tenants and disabled tenants. What this really means is that the bill allows the Government to clarify regulation so that vulnerable tenants such as the elderly—they are the ones whom Mr Twyford talked about—would not get their tenancies reviewed. So the idea that they are going to be turfed out the idea that Labour actually talks about is utter rubbish.The main objective of this bill is to improve access to social housing for those who really need it and to support people to become independent of State housing when their situations actually improve. Contrary to the Opposition’s deluded views this bill is not about kicking out tenants as I said. It is called the Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill and that is exactly what it is about—reforming social housing in New Zealand. This bill is going to change the way assistance will be given. Once this bill comes into effect the level of assistance will not be dependent on whether the house is actually State owned but on the real needs of the family on their income and on the quality of the house. This is all part of the Government’s promise to deliver a better public service. This is something our Government has shown great commitment to—way better than the housing stock that the previous Government left behind which was not even insulated and where people were living in cold conditions and getting sick.This bill is also about facing up to facts such as that we have got more than 4000 State housing tenants paying market rents some of whom are on high incomes. We are actually doing something about that. It is about being fair. It is not fair that there are currently 2100 families—about 6000 people—on the Housing New Zealand waiting list with a serious need for a State home while there are tenants who can actually afford to find a decent house with their high incomes but who happen to be living in State homes. It is also part of this Government’s commitment to better services for Kiwis. To deliver better services we will be making a record investment of $2.9 billion in Housing New Zealand for the next 3 years to improve access to social housing and to develop a pathway for New Zealanders in social housing to get independent. This matters to us because delivering housing assistance to Kiwis who need it the most is where we ought to be concentrating.As I mentioned in the first reading of the bill this facilitates housing in the right places getting the right size and conditions and getting it where it is the most in need—more targeted and efficient use of our resources. It also means getting results where we need to see them the most. It will not change the fact that housing will always be available for those people who need it and for the duration of the time that they actually require it. Quite frankly this bill will address the very issue that Labour did not have the appetite to actually fix. Let us not forget that when the Opposition members were in Government they did not do anything substantive to ease the housing issue. There was not even any review of the criteria for placement of people into housing meaning that taxpayers’ money that could have gone to target those in need was used ineffectively. This did not help Kiwi families then and it is certainly not helping them now.Let us not forget the Opposition’s poor track record with leaky homes. It was our National Government that actually tackled this issue. Once again it is this currentGovernment that is tackling the big issues. I wholeheartedly support this bill and I commend it to the House.