Sepuloni CarmelHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): There was a little bit of confusion before. I think I was a little bit unnerved by the very friendly event that we'd had earlier where we were celebrating having 50 percent women in this Parliament. It's a little bit unnerving when I'm standing next to Louise Upston and we're kind of cuddling up and we're actually happy to be in the same space together and when you've got Elizabeth Kerekere sitting next to the deputy leader of the National Party Nicola Willis. Elizabeth actually looks happy to be sitting there but Nicola is still not smiling yet though. So I was a little bit confused when I came into the House but I've found my feet. We had a lovely conference over the weekend. It was wonderful to be able to meet with our members in person to be able to celebrate the many wins and the progress that has been made under this Government over the course of five years and to look ahead to the next year and beyond with what we hope to be able to deliver for New Zealanders. I was very proud of the policy that the Prime Minister announced. It was a very smart policy; in fact I haven't even seen the National Opposition come out against it. I believe that the Leader of the Opposition said there was nothing wrong with it; that's because there's not. It responds to the cost of living for many whānau with children. One of the biggest in-work expenses is childcare and we know that that is the case. We know that back in 2010 the then National Government froze the threshold so it stopped going up. Effectively we saw $57 million cut from childcare assistance and that hit the pockets of whānau with children. It also impacted many people's ability to be able to work with many of them being women and many of them forgoing the opportunity to work because they would be no better off due to the cost of childcare. Now with the introduction of that policy not only do we give them back that opportunity but we're hoping to respond to some of the work shortages out there when those—predominantly women—who have been forgoing that opportunity take up the opportunity to get out and work. The one example I'll share is the example of the couple working 40 hours a week each on $26 per hour who are currently under the current settings not eligible for any subsidy and who will be eligible for about $252 per week towards their childcare assistance costs. That is good for those parents that is good for those children that is good for the economy and the workforce and that is why I say that it's a smart policy. We heard from the deputy leader of the National Party just before me about the cost of living crisis. I can barely stand listening to it because it is so disingenuous. They talk about the cost of living as if that has ever been a priority for them with regards to the low to middle income earners of this country when the reality is they didn't support benefit increases they've never supported minimum wage increases they've certainly never supported the living wage they didn't support fair pay agreements—they have supported nothing that actually contributes additional dollars to the pockets of low to middle income New Zealand people. They need to stop contradicting themselves with regards to what they support or don't support and then what they go on to say in this House and to New Zealanders. I believe New Zealanders will see through the National Party and see the insincerity that is seeping from their mouths every time they stand up to speak. On top of everything else they know full well that the inflationary increases that we are experiencing here are part of global inflation increases. It is not just New Zealand that is experiencing an issue with the cost of living. The Government is not responsible for that. However if they were in power then they would be driving up inflation because their light bulb idea is that you increase taxes for the most wealthy in the country—as if that will do anything for low to middle income New Zealanders—and that we will somehow be better off when in fact that is the measure that would drive up the costs for everyday New Zealanders. They are insincere and out of touch.