3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. CHLÖE SWARBRICK (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement and I quote I think everyone agrees that the State must always provide a safety net for New Zealanders who have fallen on hard times … and State houses will … play a very important part of that safety net"?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Prime Minister): Absolutely. But before I begin can I just congratulate the member on her ascendancy to the leadership of the Green Party or co-leadership of the Green Party. Absolutely including those State tenants who have been abused and victimised by their neighbours. Take Cheyne Smith who's been a Kāinga Ora (KO) tenant since 2015 and described the actions of some of his neighbouring KO tenants. He said "I've been beaten the house has been robbed egged bottled. Visitors were assaulted vehicles got stolen. It was a nightmare." The previous Government and their friends in the Green Party promoted a policy that facilitated a culture of intimidation and abuse and I'm very proud that our Government is going to deliver change.Chlöe Swarbrick: Can he guarantee that no children in this country will be made homeless as a result of his Government's policies?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well we don't want to actually see KO tenants being evicted from KO housing but actually the parents are adults and they have a choice to make about whether they want to meet their obligations and their responsibilities. That is the first port of call.Chlöe Swarbrick: Will he resign if any children are made homeless as a result of his Government's policies?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: There are children that are growing up in motels today that are living on floors of family or friends or in community housing provider housing who actually want a shot and their families want a shot at being able to get into the State house. The problem today is that there are 24000 people on a State house wait-list which went up four or five times under the previous Government. There are neighbours in those KO communities who are getting abused and I'm sorry but we're standing up for those folk and saying to them "There are rights and responsibilities in this country".Chlöe Swarbrick: So is the game plan here that those who are evicted—SPEAKER: No stop—stop. Start with a question word.Chlöe Swarbrick: Is the plan here that those evicted from public housing are made homeless or eventually end up in prison?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: The plan here is to give people a shot of getting a State house—who deserve a shot at getting a State house and are going to appreciate it and value it and actually make sure that they can actually get their shot at the Kiwi Dream. That's what this is about. What this plan is about is making sure that neighbours of KO tenants who are getting abused and threatened every single day—that stops. It stops.Chlöe Swarbrick: Does he care at all about the evidence that his Government's policies will increase homelessness poverty and inequality or is he intent on running this Government on vibes?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: We are wanting to grow this economy so we can drive more prosperity in this economy and lift wages and incomes for everybody.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can I ask the Prime Minister as to whether he's seen or heard of any policy either here or anywhere in the world where a tenant can have absolute contempt for the landlord whether it be State or whether it be private and yet be the beneficiary of the largess being suggested by that questioner?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: The deal's very simple in New Zealand: you have rights to a State house when you need it but you also have responsibilities to look after it like it's your own house. That's the deal. Because a taxpayer has woken up this morning—a low and middle income worker that the Labour Party used to care about who's actually paying their taxes going to work giving it to the Government—to actually subsidise the living of some other fellow Kiwi. They need to respect their property; they need to respect and have responsibilities as well as rights.Hon David Seymour: Is the Prime Minister trying to say that our society needs people to treat each other well and take responsibility for themselves?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: That is exactly right: our society should be built on the notion of we have rights but we also have responsibilities to each other and to the country."