Bennett Paula: Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Bennett Paula: Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Sitting date: 21 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4590. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 Mr Speaker 6 minutes is long enough to actually extol the virtues of this Budget of the future of this country and just where it is heading under this Government. This is a good pragmatic responsible Budget which is taking us forward in I think some still quite difficult times. 
I want to stand up first of all though and congratulate Bill English and say thank you to him on behalf of all those teenagers who are out there and who are struggling for the $148 million extra that you put into this Budget on behalf of this country for those young people who actually need it the most. And they do need it. At the moment we have young people who are floundering who are lost in this country. This Government has actually decided that it is going to stand up for them and put the kind of support around them that they actually need. In this Budget alone we saw $80 million going into extra childcare and support for those most vulnerable mums and dads in this country—teen parents. 
Hon Member 
: Labour don’t like that. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: No no that is right. Labour members did not vote for that. They did not vote for an extra $80 million in childcare going to teen parents so that they have got options and opportunities to get an education and to get the kind of training that they need. 
You know we have the debate too often in this House about how we are dividing up that pie of money instead of how we are growing it. This Budget is about growing it. It is about giving businesses the opportunities so that they can take on those young people and have those kinds of jobs. We hear often in this House “Where are the jobs?” and “Where is it happening?”. Well let us tell that to the 88000 beneficiaries who went off welfare last year and into work—88000 beneficiaries went off welfare and into work. Those are not the ones who went off welfare to go on to superannuation not the ones who went off it to go into a relationship and no not those few who went off it to go overseas—those 88000 beneficiaries went off welfare to go into work. Let us include because some of these will be included those who got job opportunities because of the 90-day trial period policy that this Government put in place. So those are the kinds of developments and kinds of opportunities that actually meant more for those very people who needed it more. 
Actually benefits at the moment are 4000 below forecast. We have 4000 fewer people on welfare than has been forecast. In fact that has been the way the whole way through. I see actually the honourable member Clayton Cosgrove was here at one stage saying there would be 24000 more people on benefits in the Christchurch area—24000 more on benefits. Well actually in total it went up by about 500 and of course now it is 46 percent less than it was a year ago for young people and 39 percent fewer on benefits in Christchurch alone overall for the unemployment benefit. 
Let us not forget though that these members opposite are the members who will not vote for welfare reform and will not vote for a future for those young people and for those on benefits. They would rather have them sit there lost of hope lost of opportunity not having the chances to actually move forward. It was quite an extraordinary week last week and I am sure colleagues will agree when we actually heard the Labour Party and their friends standing up and saying we should not drug test those who are on the unemployment benefit and they should not be made to take opportunities to get into jobs. It is—[ 
Interruption 
] No no—we saw we heard. We heard Helen Kelly on  
Close Up 
 I think it was where she did sort of try to sell the virtues of people being able to sit on benefits for long periods of time not actually having obligations to be drug-free and in a position where they can take jobs. 
Andrew Little 
: No she didn’t. The Minister’s making it up. What a disgraceful Minister. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Well actually it is true. So we were kind of thrilled—kind of thrilled. It was quite helpful seeing her there but it was also quite—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I do not think we should forget though how much this Budget actually did help those most vulnerable. We have seen 96 more front-line workers for Child Youth and Family. We have seen more than 149 social workers put into schools to support those children and their families who need it most. 
I do not think we can go past a programme and initiative as big as the Prime Minister’s mental health initiatives. They cross over from education to social development to health. The depth of them quite frankly is kind of staggering and has certainly increased my workload dramatically—and I am sure that many fellow Ministers would agree—but for all of the right reasons. Let us not go past health care which is actually there for those vulnerable people who need it most. This is a chance to talk about our under-sixes who are getting 24/7 health care now under this Government—under the Budget—which is stepping up. 
But none of those changes makes a bigger difference than a job does. What the Opposition does not get and what this side does is that it is businesses that will employ the people who need the jobs. It is businesses that create jobs. No job will be given to any person in Waitakere tomorrow unless an employer says they can take someone on and for them to do that they need the confidence of a stable and responsible Government that is going forward for them. No job will happen for anyone in this country unless a business stands up or a person has the right kind of backing with the skills and initiatives to stand up and take the courage to move forward themselves. Past Governments can wring hands but this is about action that makes a real difference for them. We see those jobs being created in the worst of times and in some of our hardest times. We will see them go forward. We will see people moving forward and getting the kinds of opportunities that they want. 
Sue Moroney 
: Go to Australia. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Well those 88000 people who went off benefits last year and into jobs did not go to Australia. I am sure that we could do a whip around now and get a ticket for that member if she would like one because that we would see I am sure as an investment. There is not an electorate in the country that would miss her and actually there are not many others who would as well which is the truth of it. 
The reality is that these are times when we need to be looking at the future. It is something to stand up here and talk about the future for our kids but we need to think about the future for those who are in it and those who need it now and that means actually getting back into surplus. It means being responsible about what we are spending and whom we are spending it on. I am proud that we have looked after the most vulnerable. This has always been a National Government that would do that. We need to actually have more of it. We need to see this country move forward. This is a Budget that I am really proud to support on behalf of this Parliament.