6. Question No. 6—Social Development and EmploymentJAN LOGIE (Green) to the Minister for Social Development and EmploymentQuestion No. 6—Social Development and Employment6. JAN LOGIE (Green) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Is she considering any new changes to Working for Families in order to meet her Government's commitment to making New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child"?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): Working for Families has made a considerable difference in the lives of New Zealand families and I'm proud that such a foundational shift to better support children was introduced by a previous Labour Government. Since then we have continued to improve it. This Government introduced the Best Start payment last term to support new parents with the costs of raising a child. On top of that we delivered multiple increases to the family tax credit firstly through our Families Package and again earlier this year resulting in a $35 increase per week in the primary rate. Over half of all families in New Zealand benefited from these changes. Our changes have already resulted in 66500 fewer children in poverty and as we announced last year we will build on the success through the next steps with our Government's Working for Families review.Ricardo Menéndez March: Does the Minister agree with the majority of submitters to the review who "expressed a strong preference for [Working for Families] to become more child-centric and equitable and said that its objectives should be to reduce child poverty and ensure income adequacy rather than to provide work incentives."?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I don't think that those two things are mutually exclusive—reducing child poverty and supporting people into work are connected in some way. We know that around half of children in poverty are in working households. That's why when thinking about reducing child poverty we need to bolster support across the board. As was clear from the engagement findings people have mixed views on Working for Families. For example some stakeholders urged just to retain the objective of supporting work incentives and a large number of stakeholders and submitters said that supporting whānau with the costs of work is important particularly childcare and transport costs.Jan Logie: In terms of supporting families into work will the Government consider the Canadian model which removes barriers to work by providing free childcare and transport rather than removing supports for parents doing full-time caregiving? Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: We are considering a range of things and one of the other reviews that we have committed to and that is under way is a review of childcare assistance. The threshold was frozen back in 2010 by the previous National Government which has meant that over time fewer parents have been able to access the childcare subsidy. That is another example of the very important measures that support people into work that we are considering.Ricardo Menéndez March: Does she think it is equitable that children whose parents receive a main benefit miss out on a key Working for Families tax credit keeping those tamariki locked in poverty; and if not will she end this discrimination?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I think it's really important that we support all of our tamariki. That is why we moved to increase benefits I think three years in a row running with significant increases that reversed the changes that had been made to benefit levels back in 1991 I believe. There are a range of initiatives that need to be undertaken. We're always about looking for fairness in the system. I will acknowledge too that for low-income households though it is important that they are supported because often it's difficult for them to take up work when they don't get additional financial support for things like transport and childcare.Jan Logie: Does she think that caregiving is work—or heart mahi as Māori submitters referred to it—and if so why don't full-time caregivers get the full support of Working for Families?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I'm a mother—absolutely I know that's work.Ricardo Menéndez March: Will the Minister consider recommitting to Annette King's 2011 promise that under a Government led by Labour beneficiary families would have access to the full Working for Families?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: As I said we are committed to the review that we are undertaking of Working for Families and I certainly wouldn't want to pre-empt any of the final concluding results from that."