Prasad Rajen: Social Security (Youth Support and Work Focus) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Prasad Rajen: Social Security (Youth Support and Work Focus) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 18 July 2012. Volume:681;Page:3662. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD (Labour) 
: 
 It was interesting to listen to some of the comments made by the latter speakers on the Government side. For Alfred Ngaro it was: “Do not worry this is just a new system and everything else is fine.” That is so simplistic—“It is just a new system and everything else is fine.” Of course we all know that for Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga there are plenty of jobs out there but I think he said there are only about 1000 part-time jobs. If that is so then gosh there is not much for 20 hours is there?  
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: They were casual. 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: Yes. Of course “all is well” is the message but when you look at this this is social engineering. They are words that that side use. You know it is what Mike Sabin has been saying. That is the kind of social engineering he wants and the Minister for Social Development has not repudiated him yet. The moment she does I will stop this criticism of Mike Sabin. But it is nanny State. It is like this: look folks if you are poor go out and get a job; if you have got children tough put them out somewhere else. That is what it is saying. 
But essentially I think Jan Logie really said something that I want to develop a wee bit more and she is absolutely right. What is the nature of work and why is it so difficult for this Minister and members opposite to accept that bringing up children is work? It is difficult work. It is demanding it is difficult and we ought to support the people who are bringing up those kids. The fact that the children have been born is where we start. I say to Mr Sabin that there is no point punishing those children because their parents had them on their own in the sense of having to rely on State support. 
Mike Sabin 
: How is going into childcare a punishment? 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: That is not the time to really punish those children. I will come back to that in a minute Mr Sabin. That is where the approach is punitive and it actually has perverse effects. There is no leadership in all of this. This is not going to work. How do parents— 
Mike Sabin 
: Go back to Jan Logie; she made more sense.  
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: Mr Sabin how do parents parent? I want to talk about a family I know—in fact my own grandchildren. My own grandchildren are 3½ and 9 months. My daughter is at home at the moment on maternity leave and looking after the two of them and it takes her all her time. With a partner at work it takes her all her time running day and night almost to keep those two kids to give them the best that she can. Fortunately they are doing particularly well. But to think that if a person like her was a solo parent then she would have this work test. That work test would just be so punitive towards the great job she is doing at the moment and the children she is bringing up. Of course the Minister said: “But we’ve got exemptions.” They are for high and complex needs. Minister I want to remind you that this actually is a high test. It is a very high threshold for those high and complex needs tests and if that is to be applied then that is going to be a problem.  
So here we are. This is a time when we know from all the studies that bonding is important children’s brains develop so much and parents being there gives them that opportunity. Anybody here who has had children knows that; knows that it was OK for us. It was OK for us but because these children are as Jan Logie says the children of the poor and because they are poor then it is not good enough for them. I would just like to ask the members opposite to actually have a look inside your soul. Have a look inside your soul and do that.  
But then finally the Minister—[ 
Interruption 
] Have a good look have a good look. But then I invite members to just take what the Minister has been saying. The Minister is saying she is into an investment approach. If this is an investment then I do not know what kind of investment she is talking about. But if we did have an investment approach let us get to these young people. Let us get to them sooner. Let us make an investment in them to understand about forming relationships how to keep themselves safe and how to do the kinds of things to prepare for a life of the type that you and I will all want for our children. Invest in that. That would be an investment and that would be giving our children the best start in life. But no the investment here in childcare is going to be in something like what the Minister said yesterday. She said: “Well of course the parents are in the best place to decide.” So if the only option we can give them is what is it babysitting clubs—