Kuriger Barbara: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKuriger Barbara: General Debate[Sitting date: 03 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4272. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]BARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki - King Country): In the words of Minister Anne Tolley this afternoon this is a Government that really cares. As you have heard from other speakers National is the party that is investing another $790 million over the next 4 years—money that is going to go into families on benefits and low incomes and help those children. A $25 weekly increase in benefits for families is going to be immensely helpful.Also this Government is the Government that is interested in what works. To help us make the right decisions and investments for taxpayers’ money in the future we are actually using data to get a better understanding of the people who use our services and have the need for that support. Just as an example right now if you take the most vulnerable 1 percent of all 5-year-olds which is around 600 children in any one year and we know who these kids are and actually help them get on to a wonderful track as 5-year-olds—at the moment the trajectory says that three-quarters of those children will not get National Certificate of Educational Achievement without help. It also says that 40 percent will have been on a benefit for 2 years by the time they are 21 years old and probably it is likely a quarter of those children will be in prison by the age of 35.We know that actually taking these children now investing in them and changing services in order to intervene will help these people lead more fulfilling lives. Imagine the self-esteem of being able to be on the straight and narrow as opposed to the other options that are currently the tracks where they might head.The other impressive thing about this Government is it is actually putting a lot more money into education and health. I was very very impressed in the last adjournment week about 3 weeks ago when I had a day out around Te Awamutu and Ōtorohanga with the Hon Hekia Parata and we looked at some of the money that was going into special education particularly around literacy. It was really worthwhile to hear from a young girl standing up with an iPad who had been really struggling with literacy about 8 months prior and through having a wonderful school principal who cares sharing their knowledge and information with young people—she was so proud of herself this young girl. That very same principal is actually working with other schools in the community to share those programmes and share those skills.The other thing is that this Government also is a caring Government. Mental health funding has increased by over $200 million since 2008-09 and today was a classic example. I have just been out for a couple of hours at a function at lunchtime where a programme was released called Farmstrong. It is there to help connect rural communities help well-being and help farmers get through this stage in their life where actually the payout is not brilliant. It will come right and we all know it will come right; we just do not know when it will come right. There are going to be a lot of farming families out there who are going to be struggling in the meantime until it does come right.How do the Green Party members show they care about that? They stand up in the House this afternoon and they talk about carbon taxes—more targets on farmers who have already got enough on their plate. We are doing so much work at the moment trying to hold them all together and trying to solve as many issues and save potential suicides as we possibly can. The money that the Greens are targeting in terms of wanting to put carbon taxes on these people might just be the money that helps those people to feed their families and take part in their family activities over the next little while.So I actually applaud what this Government is doing. I applaud the money that is actually being put into exploring these social bond programmes particularly around programmes that will expand on pilots that are delivering employment services to New Zealanders who have mental health conditions. I have been witness to those people in my own community and some of the organisations in Te Awamutu that are helping those people get into work. They are doing a fantastic job and we will help communities to help themselves. Thank you.