Lotu-Iiga Sam: Social Security (Long-term Residential Care—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Lotu-Iiga Sam: Social Security (Long-term Residential Care—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 24 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2547. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 It is my honour to speak on the third reading of the Social Security (Long-term Residential Care—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill. I have been listening intently on this side of the House and I have heard all the arguments from the Labour Party. And the belief that you can shout and scream and cry loud and be heard is just—having listened to the false arguments that have come from across the House I just have to straighten out some of the hyperbole.  
As the Minister for Social Development has already said this is about changing the annual increases. It is not taking away the annual increases; it is merely making the annual increases go up in an affordable way. If the Labour Party should have learnt anything in the last 3½ years of being in Opposition it is the context in which we now operate within this global environment. It is a global environment of recession; it is a global environment of fiscal responsibility. If those members want to live like the Greeks and eat Greek salad then they can go right ahead and campaign on those promises. But if they want to be fiscally prudent and fiscally responsible like the National Government then they can sit there and learn some things.  
What are the facts? What are the facts? Well the facts are that the threshold levels for aged residential care were increased from $210000 to $213000. That is what it is: it has gone up. It has actually increased. That is for singles and for married couples who are both in residential care. It has gone up for a married person whose spouse is not in a rest home; it has gone up to $116806 from 1 July. But what has happened as well is that the family home and car are not counted as assets while the remaining spouse is not in a rest home. That is contrary to what has been espoused across this Chamber. It is contrary to some of the things that have been said by the Labour Party.  
I will tell you what is not changing. What is not changing is that it will not affect anyone getting subsidised in rest home care or anyone who applies and is assessed before the 1 July 2012 date. 
Hon Annette King 
: Of course it affects them. 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: Mrs King continues to propagate the nonsense that they are affected—that this is retrospective. But I am sorry Mrs King I ask you to read the bill—I ask you to read the bill. I will tell you what: I am specially going to visit the rest homes in Maungakiekie from Onehunga One Tree Hill Ellerslie and right throughout my electorate.  
I will tell you what I am going to do. I am going to talk about the facts of this Budget. There is $47 million in rest home subsidies over 4 years—increased. There is $35 million to dementia bed subsidies—increased. There is $40 million for home care support—going up. That is what they want to hear in our electorates. That is what the people of New Zealand want to hear and that is what this National Government is providing for the people of New Zealand. I support this bill.