Moroney Sue: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMoroney Sue: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 29 January 2014. Volume:696;Page:15634. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SUE MORONEY (Labour): Well that was the arrogance of the National Party personified was it not? There was Craig Foss of the National Party telling New Zealanders that their problems do not exist. “Invisible problems” he said—“invisible problems”. When one in four children lives in poverty Mr Foss said that that does not exist in his or the National Party’s world because it is invisible to them. It is an invisible problem. Then he went on to talk about invisible money. Well is it not interesting that when the Labour Party has an idea that really resonates with the community one that it really needs then that is funded with invisible money but when the National Party finds $360 million to give some bonuses to a few principals somehow that is not invisible. Well I say to Mr Foss and his colleagues in the National Party: “Open up your eyes and stop being in denial about some of the very real issues and challenges that exist in this country.”I think the National Party is just demonstrating how arrogant and out of touch it has got talking about problems that New Zealanders have that we have as a society and pretending that they do not exist—invisible problems. One in four children is living in poverty in this country and National members laugh about it. They think it is pretty funny but actually these are the issues that schoolteachers are dealing with day in and day out. If they think that the expert principal with $50000 more in his pocket is going to be the answer to the problem of children who are constantly on the move from school to school to school because their family is staying one step ahead of the bailiff—if they think the expert principal is going to change the course of that child’s life—then they need to start remembering that these are not invisible problems; these are very real problems.But it is a Government that is clearly out of ideas because what has its members been talking about since the beginning of the parliamentary term? They have been talking about extending paid parental leave because they have so run out of ideas about what to do next that they have come looking to the Labour Party for their inspiration. It is absolutely clear that it is Labour that has been setting the agenda from the beginning of the year because what has the conversation been about? It has been about children and it has been about prioritising children and it has been about extending paid parental leave. That Government is out of ideas because it is out of touch with ordinary New Zealanders.In the Labour Party we do not have to do the focus groups and the constant polling research that the National Party does to find out that paid parental leave and extending it is a very important thing for most New Zealanders. We are in touch with most New Zealanders and we knew that that was actually something that would make a real difference—a real difference to families. We do not have to do the constant polling that suddenly has given National a bit of a fright after years now of voting against any form of paid parental leave. National members voted against it in 2002 they voted against it when Labour extended it three more times during the course of our term and they voted against it when my bill the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill was drawn out in 2012.These are really interesting issues because suddenly they have had an epiphany. Not only have those in National voted against it every time that it has been in this House but also we had a Minister of Women’s Affairs on her feet before who is the first Minister of Women’s Affairs in New Zealand ever to vote against paid parental leave. She was standing up here trying to lecture this side of the House on what she thinks is right for New Zealand but they have voted against extending paid parental leave or even introducing it in the first place. It is in their genes to be opposed to it. It is absolutely in their DNA.Not only that when they realised that they had lost the majority support in Parliament and the majority support of New Zealanders over their stance on this issue they threatened a financial veto to stop New Zealanders from being supported in this way. Well I welcome theirbackflip on this. I actually think that despite the fact that it is not because they firmly believe in this policy—it is a bit of electioneering that is going on; but come and talk the door is always open—the National Party is not going to get away with saying: “Oh yes we’ll do this sometime after the election.” New Zealanders are not going to buy that. They know the National Party’s record on this. They know the track record of the National Party.The National Government needs to put its money where its mouth is. There is a bill before this Parliament right now that they should be supporting. If they absolutely believe in prioritising families and children then they will do the right thing and support my bill which is due back in this House very soon for its second reading to extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks If they really believe that then they will come and start discussions through the Government Administration Committee to support this very good Labour bill. And yes it does happen to be in my name but it is the Labour Party that in the last election pledged to have 26 weeks’ paid parental leave and now we have confirmed it. We have confirmed it and we have wrapped around it a much more comprehensive policy.I almost want to apologise for the National Government if it cannot understand comprehensive policies because I think that is the problem here. If it cannot understand the very comprehensive problems that exist in New Zealand and the comprehensive policies that are needed to fix them then I think that tells us we have got a Government that is way past its use-by date—way past its use-by date.My bill is simple but it is effective and it is actually putting money where it needs to be and that is with children and with families not into your casinos not into your RioTintos and not into the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on your consultants to flog off the country’s State assets. That is where that Government has put its money. That is where it has put your invisible money Craig Foss. If you are looking for it it is actually in the pockets of the consultants whom you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on flogging off the State assets.Well we do not want to spend money on that. Our priority in the Labour Party is different. Our priority is with children and we have said: “Here is a Best Start package.” It is not just a one-off thing; it is actually a Best Start package. Children are going to benefit because their families will have $60 more a week in their pocket. That is $60 more a week in their pocket to actually help with all of those things in the first year of life when that money is so desperately needed—$60 a week more.Mr Foss seemed confused. He wanted people who were on paid parental leave to be able to double-dip and get it as well. Well Mr Foss here is news for you and your National Government cronies. The Labour Party is not going to support double-dipping. It will not support what you are wanting. Instead for the people who are actually entitled to and eligible for paid parental leave we are going to extend that by another 12 weeks for them. So do the maths—$488 a week times 12 weeks extra is kind of alittle bit more than $60 a week for the 12 weeks that they are not going to be allowed to double-dip under Labour’s policy.National members might be crying out for double-dipping. That might be in their DNA but it is certainly not in our DNA. But we will make sure that all of those children are well supported in the first year of life and that is what is important. They are going to benefit because either their parents will be entitled to $60 a week that they have not got now to help them out with buying nappies food and all of those things that come with having a new baby; or their parents will be entitled to extended paid parental leave under Labour. It is as simple as that. It is not that complex but it is important to get every one of those families having better support under a Labour Government. It is really clear that it will only be under a Labour-led Government.This year fortunately New Zealanders get a chance to actually say what they want to see as priorities in this country. You know I reckon they are going to pick children over casinos.