Catchpole Brent: Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
Catchpole Brent: Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:617;Page:13478] 
BRENT CATCHPOLE (NZ First) 
: 
 I have listened to many National Party members come up with all sorts of excuses about why this is bad legislation. They keep forgetting one very important point: this legislation will help people get into work. It will help them get off the benefit and into work. We have a huge shortage of ready employees out there so why do we not get some beneficiaries off the benefit? That can only help businesses. I thought National was a party that helped businesses. This legislation will help businesses because it will help and encourage people to get into work and fill those job vacancies. I would have thought that National would support this bill because it will help businesses and improve the welfare of many people on the poverty line. 
Let us look at another National claim. National claims that this legislation does nothing for education; I say that it does. If National members would just listen they would learn something from this: by putting a little bit more money in the pockets of beneficiaries those people will have money to provide breakfast for their kids. An awful lot of school kids go to school without having had breakfast and a lot of schools have to provide breakfasts. They have to provide breakfasts if only to get those kids to learn. If those kids go to school with empty stomachs they will not learn or concentrate so schools have to put on food. This bill will help parents to be able to provide for their children rather than rely on schools to do that. So National should wake up and smell the coffee and realise that this bill will help those on the poverty line. It will help them with their education and it will help businesses. 
The bill needs to come into effect now. I think Richard Prebble acknowledged that the dates New Zealand First is proposing should be brought forward so that people get the benefit now. They desperately need it now. Those kids cannot keep on going to school on empty stomachs; they need that benefit now. So the bill has a huge flow-on effect which starts with improved learning and a reduction in truancy because when those kids stop learning at their early stages they start to wag school. Then they start getting into petty crime hanging around street corners and marking buildings with graffiti. That then leads on to long-term crime. If we can stop that with this bill and if this bill goes anywhere near helping that then you have to support it. I am sorry Mr Chairman I brought you into that argument. We must support it and everybody in this Parliament must support it. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: I think the Chairman supports it actually. 
BRENT CATCHPOLE 
: Maybe the Chairman does support it but I did not want to bring him into it. He is neutral; he should sit there and not be brought into this discussion. In summary this bill helps people to get into employment. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: It does absolutely nothing for growth. 
BRENT CATCHPOLE 
: If it gets people into employment and helps businesses surely that will improve growth. If we have additional people going into employment they will fill those gaps that businesses are crying out about. Businesses are crying out for additional staff because they cannot get them. This legislation will help. With its benefits businesses will be able to afford to take on those extra people and be able to have improved employment and wealth. 
In summary this bill will go a long way to assisting people into employment. It will help children to go to school with full stomachs and it will help businesses grow.