Martin Tracey: Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMartin Tracey: Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 06 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3293. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TRACEY MARTIN (Deputy Leader—NZ First):I move That the Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. Many of us in this House think that we are very important. Many of us in this House particularly on a day such as this talk about our members’ bills about getting “my” bill through and about having the House’s support for “my” bill. This bill certainly carries my name but this is not my bill.I want to go through some dates that are very important because they have led to this place and this time and to a night where once again these children got caught by politics. Once again these children got caught in the game that some people play inside this House with legislation. We go back originally to 1999 and to a woman by the name of Di Vivian who a year before had become a grandparent raising grandchildren and realised how little there was by way of support for kin caring—how children uplifted in exactly the same circumstances and placed with strangers were given support by the State by their country by their Government by their society but when placed with those who had a blood relationship to them they received none. It is Di Vivian whose name should be on the top of this bill. It is Di Vivian who should be standing here and being acknowledged when finally this bill goes through this House.Di Vivian started in 1999 and in May 2001 the Evening Post reported: “Grandparents are ready to march through the streets if the Government continues to ignore their concerns says the national co-ordinator of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Diane Vivian.” That was back in 2001. In September 2005 Helen Clark promised that the approximately 700 grandparents and carers who received superannuation would get the same payments as any foster parent. In December of that year the then social development Minister David Benson-Pope made a public statement that the longstanding anomaly between relatives and non-kin foster parents would be addressed in the 2006 Budget. That Budget came and it went and this promise was not delivered. In June 2008 the then social development Minister Ruth Dyson announced a decision to give $24.6 million over 4 years to the more than 7500 caregivers including many grandparents who were at that time parenting more than 10300 children who could not be looked after by their parents. However it was not quite what it was made to look like in that press release. Because although certainly there was some equality being promised firstly it was delayed until an implementation date of 1 April 2009 and secondly it did not include the add-on payments such as the clothing allowance—hence this bill.But we go on. So in 2009 it was placed inside the Budget for 1 April 2009 and it was to be delivered on. We all know however that an election happened in 2008 and so there came a change of Government. The big fear at that time for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust and kin carers was: “We’re going to get caught again.” They were caught inside a political environment not of their making. These are merely children who need clothes.But now I want to actually acknowledge the previous Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett because Paula Bennett and the National Government delivered on that Budget promise in 2009. They promised parity with non-caregivers around the unsupported child’s benefit and they delivered it. It was also that Minister and a National Government who provided 500 respite care places a year for grandchildren and a week-long holiday health camp programme. That was incredibly well received by the grandparents and the communities that actually look after these children many of whom have physical emotional and intellectual disabilities. The respite that that provided was greatly welcomed. In June 2012 this Minister Paula Bennett also announced a tailored version of a Toolbox parenting group that was to be provided free for grandparents raising grandchildren.I am sure that there are people out there if they have managed to stay up this late and sit through the last lots of debate while waiting for this bill who will be wondering why I am actually paying this sort of respect to the Hon Paula Bennett because I sit on this side of the House. I am doing so because it is not my bill. I am doing so because she deserves it. She took the promises made by a previous Government and she made sure they were implemented. She went further—Jacinda Ardern: In 2018.TRACEY MARTIN: No give it a minute give it a minute; we will get to that. But let us be clear about who delivered what and let us be honest and let us give credit where credit is due. This should not be about politics; this should be about the children. I take on board that comments should not come from either side to be frank. This is not about politics; this about these children.There was a ministerial task force in late 2013 and I know that the Hon Paula Bennett put her neck out inside her Cabinet and inside her caucus when she announced $10 million every year for 4 years to deliver around the school and year start-up payment the establishment grant for when children first come into the home and also for the Extraordinary Care Fund. So I acknowledge her and I do so with no problem whatsoever because the facts are the facts and they should be known.This started with Di Vivian. Without her we would not be here but it was Ministers who took it up. I wanted to acknowledge and I did acknowledge that Ruth Dyson put it in the Budget and at that time it did not cover the clothing allowance—neither did what was delivered by the Hon Paula Bennett. It is not a criticism of either party; it is the fact of the reality of history.What we have now is the recognition that I need to apologise to the caregivers and the kin carers now because although I believe that there has been a will on the part of the Hon Paula Bennett and I believe there is obviously a will inside this House to deliver for these children I have had to put in a delayed implementation date. There are many reasons for that and all of them are political. All of them are political all of them are financial and none of them have anything to do with those children.So I apologise and I apologise with a but. I hate doing that but I apologise because I felt that it was more important to get this equity etched into legislation so that it cannot be removed. It is much harder to remove equity out of legislation than it is to put it in. So although I apologise that the implementation date is not where you want it to be because I could not advocate well enough to get it there I acknowledge the history of where we have come to at this point. I acknowledge the need. I acknowledge it and I commit right now that whether I am in this House or out of this House I will watch the 2018 Budget and I will do whatever I can do wherever I am—and you ask anybody who is on a select committee with me how I can advocate—to make sure that every party that said that it supported this bill maintains this promise whoever is writing that Budget in 2018. Kia ora.