Mooney JosephJOSEPH MOONEY (National—Southland): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of the National Party in support of the Social Security (Financial Assistance for Caregivers) Amendment Bill. Caregivers in New Zealand provide day-to-day care for around 22000 children whose parents aren't able to care for them for a variety of reasons. Many caregivers are members of a child's family whānau or extended family and have stepped up to take on the care of a child when their parents are unable to do so.One of the current criteria for accessing the orphans benefit and the unsupported child's benefit under the Social Security Act 2018 is that the caregiver must be likely to be the principal caregiver of the child for at least one year from the date of the application for the payment—what is called the 12-month rule. This is what this bill endeavours to resolve. In practice this rule means presently that there are caregivers who take on the care of a child often in difficult and/or short-term situations where there is little other choice but they are unable to access financial assistance to help them provide care. This is despite the fact that they like other caregivers take on all primary responsibilities for the day-to-day care of a child when that child's parents are unable to care for them.The National Party recognises that the financial support that this bill provides does entail a fiscal cost and therefore requires careful consideration in the same way we scrutinise all other policies that spend taxpayer dollars. It is important to National that the bill targets and benefits those who are most in need of support and we believe this bill does so. It targets and supports those members of the community who have taken on the incredibly important task of caring for children who are through no fault of their own in a difficult situation and do not have other members of their family or whānau to care for them. Many children face significant social challenges when instability exists in their home environment and they do not have regular contact with their parents.This bill is consistent with the National Party's social investment philosophy of spending early in a child's life to improve their long-term outcomes. We also believe that it is just that caregivers receive recognition for their work. There is a disparity that this bill is addressing as well in terms of what's currently called Christmas and birthday allowances to caregivers receiving the orphans benefit or the unsupported child's benefit. Caregivers receiving the orphans benefit or the unsupported child's benefit do not receive the birthday and Christmas allowances that the relevant caregivers are receiving—the other benefit. This means that the caregivers receiving it pay for these costs out of their own pocket or if they're unable to the children in their care go without. This disparity in payments contributes to children missing out on assistance that is otherwise available to caregivers who are in State care.I just want to make some note that this bill is a good step forward but we must in this House also pay attention to the pressures that contribute to families entering a situation where they have difficulties caring for their children. And I certainly want to also recognise and acknowledge those who take on the care of children that I have seen in my life—people who have cared for hundreds of children and also those who have cared for just one member of their family or whānau. It is a very big commitment that they take on and it is very good tonight to acknowledge the efforts that they make.I would note however that there are difficulties that are placed on families and particularly have been placed on families over the last 15 months. Some of those financial stresses lead to other stresses that inevitably end up being experienced by children. Only today I've been contacted by someone who told me a very sad story of her partner losing his employment last year due to the impact on the tourism industry and she had to then take care of him and her two children on her reduced income because of our current settings. She said that the system encourages her partner and her to separate—that way he can receive some assistance and a little independence and dignity in his time of hardship that he currently cannot if he stays with her. She said that this is a situation that has placed enormous stress on her family and I would acknowledge tonight—that there is a lot more that we can certainly do. The pressure on families is also from a variety of factors and in this House we need to pay very close attention to those pressures and what we can do to alleviate them and one of those obviously at the present time is the cost of housing and the housing crisis. In my electorate I talked to a camping-ground operator and 80 percent of the people in his campground are Ministry of Social Development referrals and that has been the case for the last two years. The continued pressure on families who are in that situation can certainly contribute to children ending up in a situation where others need to care for them. So I strongly encourage all of us in this House to focus on what we can do to resolve that and on the housing policies that we need to ensure that a lot more houses can be built. I acknowledge that we have a record number of housing consents that have been processed in recent times. However I wish to point to the huge workforce constraints that we currently have in this country. I've been hearing from operators—and I'm sure many other members of this House have—that they simply do not have the workforce that they need to build houses. This is a constraint that I'm seeing right across my electorate and I hear it is happening right around the country in a variety of sectors not just in the construction sector.I would say that the pressure that goes on families—and I'll just speak to this and I'd say it relates to this issue. In my electorate for example a large number of farming families are under a lot of pressure because they cannot get the staff they need to help them with their duties so the kids are coming with them to the milking shed day in day out and it is putting a huge amount of pressure on those families. I raise this point because there are a lot of complex factors that we need to take into account to make sure that we look after the children in this country.Just coming full circle however this bill is a good one. It is one to ensure that those 22000 caregivers in New Zealand who are providing day-to-day care for children are properly supported by the Government. I commend the bill to the House.