Tanczos Nandor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Tanczos Nandor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:625;Page:20231] 
9.  
NANDOR TANCZOS (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: When did the Government become aware that the number of student allowance applications received by StudyLink at 13 February 2005 was “22430 fewer than were forecast for the October to mid February peak period”? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 On 17 February. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Will the Minister now admit that he was misleading the people of this country when he said on 9 March that: “The Government is investing around $223 million over the next 4 years to extend access to the student allowance scheme. This is designed to benefit an extra 36000 students.” when the Government had already been told by his own admission on 17 February that the number of people who received student allowances was down? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: No because it was so designed. 
Lynne Pillay 
: Why are student allowance applications fewer than were forecast? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: There is a variety of reasons why students have not applied for allowances in the numbers that we expected including a decline in enrolments because among other things students are staying at school longer. The National Certificate of Educational Achievement literacy and numeracy requirements mean that university students now need to be able to read and count. Record low unemployment has made it attractive for some students to go directly into the workforce rather than to undertake study. There is a move towards more students studying part-time rather than full-time. More students are finding that they can earn much more through part-time work than by taking an allowance. Parents’ incomes have increased more than expected driven by wage increases and a drop in unemployment—for example amongst 45 to 49-year-olds a major parent group for university students where unemployment fell from 2.1 to 1.2 percent. There are a number of other reasons including people being involved in industry training organisations. Part of the problem with this issue is that it is just all good news. 
Bernie Ogilvy 
: Has the Minister considered that the reduction in student allowance applications is due to the changes to the criteria that now disqualify married couples and independent adult students who have worked for 2 years and will he give active reconsideration to United Future’s proposal to restore the independent circumstances allowance? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Clearly those numbers were taken into account in the original arrangements so that has not driven the difference although of course people who were otherwise eligible are now no longer eligible. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: If it is “just all good news” to use his own words and if the Government was told on 17 February that fewer students were receiving an allowance this year than received one last year why did the Government wait for a student journalist to dig up the facts before issuing a statement; why did it not come clean and tell the students the truth when it found that out? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: We gave them the information to write the article. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Why has the Labour Government continued to travel around campuses even last month telling students that more of them are receiving allowances such as during the panel discussions in Christchurch last month where Mr Donnelly was and which he will confirm? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I hope what people are saying is that more people are eligible for allowances. The fact that 11000 fewer people are studying full-time because they have jobs—[ 
Interruption 
] That member may not like that but some people on the Government side of the House had jobs when they were students rather than having the silver spoon in the mouth as Bill English did. 
Hon Bill English 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I know that Trevor Mallard may be used to being a “wooden spooner” but that epithet was out of order. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The member has taken objection to the silver spoon comment. I would ask the Minister to withdraw. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I am absolutely happy to withdraw the silver spoon comment. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. That was a totally inappropriate way to handle the situation. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am sorry. I was establishing exactly what the objection was. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: That statement was well outside the Standing Orders. We thought that towards the end of the last parliamentary sitting before the last adjournment you had established with Ministers that when answering questions they were not to add inappropriate comments at the end of their answers and that there would be difficulties for the House if the sorts of derogatory comments that Mr Mallard is so well known for were to be added to ministerial answers all the time. You may remember one day when Mr Swain for example persisted in adding all sorts of things to the end of his answers. He must have spent all his hours looking for those little comments to make. He certainly was not looking for any overstayers; that is pretty clear. However to have said today that you are prepared to ask the member to withdraw and apologise only because Mr English has taken offence will see us get into a difficult situation. The Chair should have come down on Mr Mallard much harder right from the start. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I thank the member. The comment was not well outside the Standing Orders but it was irrelevant to the question. I accept that and that is why when the member rose I established that he wanted that comment to be withdrawn. I immediately asked the Minister to do so and to apologise which he did. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I think that I did not actually apologise and I do now. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Are the Minister’s answers not just sophistry and is it not the real issue that fewer students are receiving an allowance this year than did so last year despite the Government’s promises that an extra 36000 students would benefit from the allowance changes? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: This Government has increased the upper limit of income for families from $50000 to $62000 over the 2 years. That is an increase in eligibility— 
Hon Bill English 
: So it’s the students’ fault. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The member interjects again. He does not like it when he gets a response. He runs away; he cries when he gets a response. He is a bit like a dog I knew that chased cars and barked— 
Hon Member 
: What happened to that dog? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: That dog got run over of course and the member will be too. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Would the Minister please explain to the House what happened to the $223 million that the Government claimed would extend access to the student allowances scheme and benefit an extra 36000 students now that we all know that in fact fewer students have access to an allowance than did so prior to last year’s Budget; and will the Minister be using any of it to pay the invoice for $54 million from the New Zealand University Students Association on behalf of the students who are not receiving a student allowance when the Government promised that they would? 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: They will be back in 10 years for a tax cut—the same ones.  
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I note the Minister of Finance’s comments about those students being back for a tax cut. I just remind the member that in a number of areas—student allowances are one of them pensions are another and unemployment benefits are another—we set the policy and the rates and if more people are eligible than we forecast then the very generous Minister of Finance does not cut the pensions unemployment benefits or allowances. It works the other way too: if fewer people are eligible the Government does not divvy up the extra cash. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: I seek leave to table the invoice from the New Zealand University Students Association for $54 million on behalf of students who are not receiving a student allowance when they were promised they would receive one. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection; it will not be tabled.