Tolley Anne: Social Security Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Tolley Anne: Social Security Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:639;Page:9110] 
ANNE TOLLEY (National—East Coast) 
: 
 I rise to speak on Part 1 of the Social Security Amendment Bill and start by saying that the Minister David Benson-Pope talks big. He stood up in this Chamber at the start of the Committee stage of the debate and made a great political speech about what wonderful things he has done as Minister—big-noting with figures about how wonderful it all is. But the reality is that this Minister has done nothing. He has done nothing and his Government has done nothing. 
The Government has been the fortunate recipient of good economic times. I agree that the unemployment figures are great. Every New Zealander celebrates the fall in unemployment. But if the Labour Government thinks that the fall in unemployment is anything to do with what it has done then it is deluding itself and if this Minister thinks that the fall in unemployment has anything to with what he has done then he is deluding himself—as he was deluding himself when he announced this bill as being the biggest reform to welfare in 50 years. 
Again it is big talk but when it comes down to it when one looks at the details of the bill one sees that it is a pathetic reform. The bill is not anything that people would ever hold their breath waiting for. It is nothing. 
I want to talk about sickness and invalids benefits. The Minister might throw all the figures together and show a decrease in unemployment but in this House we all know that invalids and sickness beneficiaries are on the increase— 
Darren Hughes 
: Marginally. 
ANNE TOLLEY 
: Marginally! They have been on the increase for some time. This Government talks all the time about doing something but in actual fact it does nothing more than talk. This bill is nothing more than talk. 
Lynne Pillay 
: We’re getting older Anne. 
ANNE TOLLEY 
: We are all getting older waiting for this Minister to do something about the increasing numbers of sickness and invalids beneficiaries. I challenge the Minister about this so-called myth that beneficiaries are coming off the unemployment benefit and going on to the sickness benefit. I know that happens; I have seen people in my electorate office whom it has happened to. I had a man come in not long ago in a terrible state— 
Hon David Benson-Pope 
: Give us his name. 
ANNE TOLLEY 
: I am happy to. 
Darren Hughes 
: Oh yeah! That won’t happen. 
ANNE TOLLEY 
: Yes it will because this man has a good story. He was in a terrible state when he came to see me. Some time ago he had been asked by his local Work and Income people to go off the unemployment benefit and on to an emergency unemployment benefit in order to make their figures look good. They were due to report and wanted to make the figures look good. The man agreed to do that. 
Then after he had been on that emergency benefit for 10 months and we queried why he was still on it the man was offered the sickness or invalids benefit. He said: “I don’t want to go on to that; I want to go back to work. I am happy to work. I am not sick. I am happy to work.” But from Work and Income’s perspective in order to make its figures look good it would be better if the man did a little period of time on the sickness or invalids benefit. So Work and Income sent this man to the doctor. He said to the doctor: “I don’t want to be on that benefit. I am perfectly capable of working. That is what I want to do.” 
I am still trying to get this man on the unemployment benefit. He cannot get into the local office— 
Darren Hughes 
: One case. 
ANNE TOLLEY 
: No I am relaying one case but I have had several cases coming through my office in the last month of people who were asked to go on to the sickness benefit and were sent to the doctor. It is not a myth and I am happy to provide the Minister with the details of exactly how this is happening. Regardless of all that the figures themselves show that it is happening. We have heard this Minister himself say that one in five potential sickness or invalids beneficiaries who have been signed up by a doctor are actually fit for work. 
When this bill came to the House we looked at it to see how the Minister would tackle this issue. We thought that at last he was going to do something about it. We thought we would see provisions stating that these one in five people would have to go through some form of examination to determine whether they were capable of work. 
What do we see in the bill? These people have to prepare a plan. They do not even have to take away a copy of that plan with them. They do not have to do anything other than sit in front of an official and fill out a form that is headed “A Plan” and then they will be eligible for the benefit. That will not address the issue of the rising number of sick New Zealanders.