Ngaro AlfredALFRED NGARO (National): I take the call on this bill the Social Security (Extension of Young Persons Services Remedias Matters) Amendment Bill in the Committee stage.Carmel Sepuloni: Remedial.ALFRED NGARO: Well it is good hear that you are listening—remedial matters. The joy of being in Opposition is that it is all risk no responsibility. That is what it is. It is easy for those members to turn round and say almost like the ad about the moss removal: Spray and walk away." In other words how about we just pay and walk away? You have heard Opposition members in regard to this bill. What they want to say is: "Let's just pay and walk away." When they turn round and talk about the responsibility of this Government they only need to look back at the 9 years of a Labour-Greens Government. Let us talk about your track record. Let us talk about paid parental leave. Did it happen when the opportunity was there? No it did not. Let us talk about housing—warm and dry. Did it happen under a Labour-Greens Government? No. That is right.Hon Member: Yes it did.ALFRED NGARO: Fifty thousand houses in 9 years? Come on. That is not exactly a track record you can be proud of. Why? Because you supposedly took responsibility so it is a bit rich to turn round to be sanctimonious and to say: "Guess what? It's not about the cost." When you are in Opposition it is all risk no responsibility—pay and walk away.Fletcher Tabuteau: This is Committee stage.ALFRED NGARO: These guys want to hear about the Committee stage so let us do a bit of research. Let us see if these people have done their homework. The Productivity Commission in 2011 talked about the social investment approach. I guarantee there would not be many who have read that report. If you take the time to read the report what does it say? This is what it talks about. There are four things that are really important that it talks about that are high risk for those who are inside our welfare system. In that report it says this: "No. 1 intervention needs to happen early." That is right—we would all agree with that right? The second thing it said was: "You need to target your approach." So what is this bill doing? No. 1 the intervention is early. It is extending the age of eligibility to 18 and 19-year-olds. Why? It is doing that because the Productivity Commission said that if you want to make the greatest difference go early not late. That is what this Government is doing. The second thing the Productivity Commission said in its report was this: "Target your focus and your resources to make the greatest difference." You will not know that because you have not read it but that is exactly what it is saying. If we as the Government were to say that to be responsible for the resources that we have we go early and we target where it is most needed—that is what is making the difference. For 18 and 19-year-olds who are vulnerable who are at risk why would we not turn round and say that we are going to be responsible for this? I will tell you the reasons why. In the 9 years of the Labour Government when I was working in the community and had experience this is what it did: pay and walk away. In other words it did not take responsibility to ask the hard questions. This Government is doing this. We are not afraid to face up to ask the hard questions.Carmel Sepuloni: It's worse under National.ALFRED NGARO: That is right—you are going to get up and you are going to say: "This is what we have done." This is what this Government is doing: it is asking the hard questions and this is what we are doing. When we are talking about predictive profiling it is asking questions like this: if you are at risk if you are a young teenager and a young parent what does the research show us? It shows us this: if you go early you stay longer. In other words the question is this: on average if you are an 18-year-old and you are a young teenage parent and you go into the welfare system how long do you stay in it? Oh that is right—you do not know. It is 13 years—that is on average. If you are 20 years old and you go into the welfare system how long does the research say? That is right—you have not read the research. It is 20 years.Jacinda Ardern: I have read it.ALFRED NGARO: If you had read it if you had understood it you would be able to stand up and give a reasonable rebuttal.Peeni Henare: Hey I lived it—I lived it.ALFRED NGARO: OK well then stand up and let us hear the speech because guaranteed you have not done your homework. You stand up sanctimonious about what we are doing but guess what—guess what? We are making a difference. Work really counts for these young 18 and 19-year-olds. If they are vulnerable they deserve to get the support that they need to make sure that No. 1 they go into eligibility for work opportunities and for training. This is what this bill is doing. It is interesting that those members can stand up they can talk about all of this but what this Government is doing is investing in the right places for young people. There is a little bit of—Jacinda Ardern: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I understand it is a wide-ranging and robust debate but the member has not spoken once about anything substantive in the bill during his contribution.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): The Committee stage is to review the evidence that was brought before the select committee. The member has referred several times to papers that were brought before the select committee. [Interruption] Do not talk while I am on my feet. You know the rules. The member is actually doing exactly what he is called to do within the Committee stage and actually he sat through a number of speeches where a number of allegations were made. I am not surprised that the member quite vociferously hits the ball back over the net. I also notice that members on the other side of the Chamber are not giving to the Government member the courtesy that was extended to them. So you know he has got another 33 seconds—unless he wants another call.ALFRED NGARO: Thank you Mr Chair. Yes as I have said about the bill eligibility for 18 and 19-year-olds—if the member was listening she would realise that too. What is important is the wraparound support of a youth coach parenting and budgeting services and support to engage in education and training. How many teen parent units have those members been to? How many young people have they walked alongside to see that they would make a difference? I will tell you what. I guarantee that if you put your hand on heart I am not sure there would be many. Why? This is what this Government is doing. We are the party for the people."