Mahuta Nanaia: General Debate 
Mahuta Nanaia: General Debate 
[Volume:668;Page:14861] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 It is evident that the Government is starting to worry because time after time in the House today every question was about what Labour is doing. Time after time in the House today every member on the Government side talked only about what Labour has done or is doing not about what they are doing. They are worried about the messages that are not resonating out there with the public. 
We can take Nick Smith for example; his whole contribution was just about child-resistant caps on bottles. We cannot buy Listerine today without a child-resistant cap; we cannot buy Janola today without a child-resistant cap. It is not about packaging per se; it is about ensuring that our kids are safe from some of the harshest household substances in our homes. Usually those substances are in the bottom cupboard under the sink by the washing machine or under the kitchen sink. Labour wanted to ensure that everyday families could keep their kids safe by having child-resistant caps on those substances. Anything more than that is pure fabrication by the Minister for the Environment and should be left as that. 
We know that when we put children at the centre of our thinking it is about making the types of changes that can make a real difference in everyday homes to Kiwis around New Zealand. We know that New Zealanders are excited about the message that our deputy leader gave to the annual conference. She said that we will unreservedly ensure that children are at the centre of our policy framework. More important children will be at the centre of the actions that we will take in moving forward if we should be elected in the 2012 election. 
We build on a foundation that has really supported children: affordable general practitioner visits free health care for under-sixes and affordable health care visits where when mum takes baby to the doctor she pays $10 or nothing for her child. That is set to change under National and families are worried about that. We know that families who are on fixed and low incomes have actually had a better deal under Labour with income-related rentals but that is set to change under National. Working for Families has helped low and modest income families who are partly working and want to get ahead. That scheme has helped but is probably set to be changed under National. The 20 free hours’ early childhood education policy was brought in by Labour and that is set to change under National—but there will be more about that later. 
Most important certainly for the families that I represent during the time that Labour was in Government Maori unemployment dropped from 19 percent to 6 percent. We believe in work for families. Jobs were there and our families were working. But I ask Minister Collins where the jobs are now. She got up in the House today and said the best type of support for families is work but where are the jobs? She could not answer that question. Minister Heatley got up in the House and said all those things that are happening in State houses but we know that out in our communities there are not enough State houses in some areas. In Thames for example they tell us that there are not enough State houses and families there have to go on to market-related rentals. The average cost of a three-bedroom home is $280 to $320 a week and those houses have a holiday clause. Those families have to get out in December and they can possibly go back in about February because those private landlords will get more from renting out their homes in that way so they will just let the tenants go. They do not care whether those tenants have a home. 
Key things are happening out in our communities under this Government that will put children at risk. But we know that we have to invest in the early years. We understand that more and more Kiwi families are making the decision to come home and bring up their children because they want to bring up their children in New Zealand but they are not supported by the current changes that this type of Government is making. 
I visited He Taonga te Mokopuna which is a teen parent unit. Labour was very proud of supporting young people who found themselves pregnant at a young age and who wanted to continue in education. We knew that supporting them to continue their education would make a real difference. We introduced a young parent allowance that would help them helping their children to be at a childcare centre while the young parents learnt. We are starting to see young parents actually graduate from tertiary education with the support of the types of policies that Labour brought in. But all of that is set to change under National and those members are harping on about things that make very little difference.