Davidson Marama: Social Security (Commencement of Benefits) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDavidson Marama: Social Security (Commencement of Benefits) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 17 November 2015. Volume:710;Page:8191. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MARAMA DAVIDSON (Green): Again—again—all that we know about intent is what was written in the law and the law was very clear. I would like to pick up on the previous speaker’s reference to saving money being prudent and what is a fiscal risk to the taxpayer. I think we can just look at housing for example. If we want to look at managing money and managing investment for good economic outcomes we can look at how the Government has failed to invest in the needs of New Zealanders and families and in the long run we actually end up paying through the nose for it—all of us taxpayers. I just wanted to make that point.Again I absolutely know that this is poor process—that we are here under urgency debating this piece of legislation without any consultation. It is those voices that I would like to take a moment to uphold at this stage of this lawmaking and I would like to pick up most certainly on the point that my colleague Jan Logie referred to about the Work and Income regiment—about their clients’ responsibility often being cutting; nearly every time it is cutting. Just some months ago I sat in a room with a whole group of the Manukau community—job seekers who were talking about the barriers to finding suitable and meaningful employment including for example transport and about how in south Auckland the Work and Income regiment is made particularly hard with the lack of good accessible and affordable public transport. In those cases as we have heard missing any meetings has been cutting on those very people who are doing their darnedest to try to find work and to be contributing members of society—not just socially but also economically. This is absolutely the stage where we would have heard those stories from the people themselves who are going to be directly impacted by this very piece of legislation.I think at this stage I will talk about the fact that I have been in this job for 2 weeks and already I can see how easy it would be for MPs to be very removed and understandably so from the realities that many ordinary New Zealanders face. As an MP I am able to travel free of charge. I have an accommodation benefit so I can do my job. This has been 2 weeks of my life and I absolutely agree that we need the tools to do our job but the realities in contrast with the very people this is going to impact on are important particularly at this second reading. I salute all of those people who have struggled and have done amazing things with a small amount of money to do the best for their lives.I have a quote here. Jan Logie wrote a blog recently about this issue—this bill—and a person underneath wrote: “The New Zealand Government not matter who it is has tried to get as much money back from beneficiaries as they can. No sole parent on a benefit gets to see their child support paid by the other parent. All beneficiaries pay secondary tax at approximately $20 for every $100 earned yet they dock your pay based on your gross wages.” So it is those voices that I wanted to give my time and support to in this second reading. I reiterate that there is no urgency. There is no genuine case for urgency at this time. Thank you.