Luxton JoJO LUXTON (Labour): Thank you Mr Speaker. I have to admit that after hearing the first and third speakers in this debate I was feeling quite nervous because I'm nowhere near as funny as them but after hearing that speaker David Seymour I'm feeling quite fine about giving this speech now knowing that I'm not that funny and neither is he.I was really excited that I was going to be speaking in the debate today but the sad thing is that it is only five minutes long. I want to talk about all the amazing things that this Government is doing but there's no way I can fit it all in in five minutes. But anyway unlike the Opposition who's sitting over there—they bark at every single car that goes past; I don't know if they're waiting for a pat a bone or something to be thrown at them but unfortunately no one is paying any attention to them. On this side of the House we are getting on with the mahi getting on with the work.We're a Government that's fiscally responsible and we're seeing that with our recent triple A rating. We are wanting to be transformed and we are ambitious we are future-focused we are compassionate and most importantly we are bringing kindness back to politics. We are seeing that by watching our Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern doing us proud overseas and talking about that very fact: bringing kindness back to politics. She says there's not one rule for leadership and it doesn't have to be based on ego and point-scoring; you can be strong and you can be kind. So I'm really really proud of our Prime Minister who's leading the way on that front.Anyway I want to talk a little bit about some of the amazing things that we are doing in particular thinking initially about our Families Package. We've got so many more families that are going to be so much better off under this package—around about 384000 members of the public there—Kieran McAnulty: How many?JO LUXTON: 384000 can you believe it? We've extended paid parental leave to up to 22 weeks. We've got a Best Start payment for all new babies that are born and for the next three years. Our senior citizens and some of our lowest-income earners are eligible now for a winter energy payment. So now instead of our vulnerable people and elderly people having to make the choice between turning the heater on or saving some money they don't have to worry about that any more and that speaks volumes. That is about compassion and that is about being kind.I also want to talk about some of the things that the Hon Carmel Sepuloni is doing in the Work and Income space. I'm thinking about the fact that she's changing the way that people who work at Work and Income have changed their focus. I met with some Work and Income managers recently in the area I live in and they were telling me that they've been told since this Government has come in that the focus must now be on the client and about the client and what is best for the client. Actually these people seemed very relieved and very very happy that this was the instruction they were following now.Kieran McAnulty: Happy with this Government.JO LUXTON: That's right—that's right. I think about a time when I had to go into Work and Income when I was in a vulnerable situation and the person I spoke to made me feel terrible made me feel inadequate and I felt really really distraught after my visit there. I'm really proud to see that our Minister Carmel Sepuloni is really focusing on listening to the clients and what clients are wanting and from that making the changes that need to be made in the Ministry of Social Development space.I'm also really proud of what we're doing in the education space. We're giving the voice back to teachers on the Teaching Council. We are showing them that we on this side of the House actually trust them. We trust them to know what they are doing. We are not taking their choice away and we're not going to stand and say Actually you know what we know better. This is what we want you to do." We are letting those people who work at the coalface make those decisions for themselves and look after their own sector.Another thing I'm really proud of is the fact that we're getting rid of national standards—national standards. No longer will our children in schools particularly those who have learning disabilities or who are somewhat vulnerable have to hear with every school report that comes out "You're a failure. You don't meet those national standards." Now they will hear how positive and fabulously they are doing in school. It will be a holistic look at how they're going and I say that I'm so proud that this Government is bringing kindness back to politics."