Lotu-Iiga Sam: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Lotu-Iiga Sam: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 14 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4346. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 Malo soifua. I want to first congratulate the Minister in the chair the Minister for Social Development on the great work that she and the Social Services Committee have done to bring the first welfare reforms to this House and we certainly look forward to our second phase of welfare reforms to be coming up in the next couple of months. 
I also want to thank the previous speaker Jacinda Ardern too. I found her contributions thoughtful and consistent and only a little misguided. In referring to Child Youth and Family’s performance over the last few years before the dinner break she mentioned the number of unallocated cases and how unacceptable that was. Well what Miss Ardern did not mention was that the number of unallocated cases was reduced by 93 percent between 2006 and 2011. Mr Cunliffe might smile having been on holiday in the northern hemisphere but that means that 1089 cases in 2006 went down to 71 cases in 2011. As at March 2012 there were 41 unallocated cases including one critical. A safety assessment is completed within 24 hours by the duty social worker for all critical unallocated cases. Child Youth and Family have met or exceeded 96 percent of their targets including notification response-time targets in 2010-11—that is right 96 percent of targets. And guess what? In 2009-10 Mr Cunliffe it exceeded 100 percent—100 percent. That is compared with 55 percent under Mr Cunliffe’s Government. 
The final point I would like to raise to Miss Ardern’s assertions before the dinner break is to make it quite clear in public that that member along with her then high-performing Minister Ms Dyson along with the deputy leader Grant Robertson and along with the chief whip who sits here today Mr Hipkins were all working on the ninth floor at that time and they were directly responsible for some of those figures being so poor in 2006. Miss Ardern says that the bar needs to be lifted. Well I say that it has been lifted by 93 percent. Read the figures go to Statistics New Zealand and you will see where the problem is. 
So what is the problem? Well we all know what the problems are but the Labour Opposition may not know: 13 percent of our working-aged population is on a benefit and 200000 Kiwi kids are growing up in benefit-dependent homes. That is a life of limited choices and outcomes. I could talk about the other problems that we have—how David Shearer bashes beneficiary fraudsters unlike Miss Ardern of course. But that would be remiss of me because it does not need a backbench National MP to show what a shambles that Opposition is in. 
 So what are we doing? What are we doing? The reason our Government has the trust of the New Zealand public is that we are focused on the issues that actually matter to New Zealanders—the economy jobs and opportunities as well as education and health. That is right. In Budget 2012 we are providing an upfront investment of over $287 million over the next 4 years in the first phase of these welfare reforms. We have always said that welfare reform would cost more up front because in order to spend more up front and save more in the long term that translates to more support to help people off welfare and into work. 
Sue Moroney 
: Not very convincing Sam. 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: The Labour Party does not like that. Sue Moroney does not like that at all—the fact that we are helping the vulnerable out of poverty and off benefits and into work. Phase one of that funding includes $81.5 million of additional money over and above what has been sent in the last financial year. The second phase of the reforms of course will be funded in Budget 2013. 
Sue Moroney 
: Who will that deal to? 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: The entire welfare package is expected to cost at least $520 million Ms Moroney and it is expected to save in the long term $1 billion. That is a net saving of $480 million and Labour does not like it. 
Dr Rajen Prasad 
: Nobody believes it. 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: Unlike you we believe in investing in our youth. We believe in investing in our early childhood education system. We believe in investing in mentoring parenting and budgeting courses.