Rich Katherine: General Debates 
Rich Katherine: General Debates 
[Volume:607;Page:4209] 
KATHERINE RICH (NZ National) 
: 
 What a shambles of a speech that was—just like the shambles that the present welfare system is in. Labour had a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the welfare system—to change things when the economy was doing well—and it blew it. I am not the only person to say that. John Tamihere agrees with me. He said: “The time to change the welfare system is when things are going well.” Labour has blown it. Where have all the hikois gone? Members may remember that back in 1998 members of this House hikoi-ed up and down the country. They were outraged by poverty. They were outraged by disadvantage in this country. Now the silence is absolutely deafening. Where have all the hikois gone? 
This week the Child Poverty Action Group released a report. It said that under this Government child poverty has gone up. Steve Maharey travelled the country talking with absolute outrage about the use of food banks. What has happened to food bank usage? Under his watch it has gone up and now he is totally silent. Radio New Zealand asked the Minister to front up to talk about the Child Poverty Action Group report and he would not do it—he would not front up. It is a group that Steve Maharey personally snuggled up to during his years in Opposition but now when he is the Minister he will simply not address the issues. 
But let us look at some of the members who are addressing this issue. I want to bring up some of the comments of John Tamihere an excellent member who has been bold enough to make some points about welfare; to challenge the Government and say that its old-left and statist views of welfare will simply not work. I ask members of the House who has more credibility on welfare: somebody who has been a bit of an academic within a university situation or someone who has worked at the coalface at the front line of welfare delivery? I can tell members who the general public would listen to. 
Tariana Turia has made some comments about welfare as well. As a result of the Child Poverty Action Group report she had this to say: “The statistics of child poverty are shocking and the prospects look even worse.” Well I say to Tariana Turia that I agree with her. Under this Government things will not get any better as the Government has relaxed rather than improved the welfare system. This Government has had the best economic conditions in a generation and still Treasury is predicting 30000 more beneficiaries by 2007. This Government has had the best conditions in a generation and still the numbers on the invalids benefit are increasing at such a dramatic rate that even the Ministry of Social Development does not know why that is the case. 
Let us look at the progress or lack of it that has been made at the Department of Child Youth and Family Services. The Mick Brown report was announced with much fanfare. That report made some quite clear recommendations about what needs to be done within the Department of Child Youth and Family Services. Today we find out that there is a secret-squirrel evaluation going on that even members of the Social Services Committee are not aware of—another review. It will not do much. The time for reviews committees and discussions is over. People are expecting that unallocated case list to be reduced to zero. That was one of the points that the select committee made. Why has that Minister made no progress in terms of implementing the Mick Brown report? 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: This member used to have potential! 
KATHERINE RICH 
: That Minister has had 2 years and only 15 of those recommendations are even close to being completed. The last figure I saw showed that 1400 children were waiting for this Government to give them a social worker. Who knows: there could be a Delcelia Witika or another Olympia Jetson waiting in that line. While we are on the subject of Olympia Jetson where is the Government’s review? Where is the review of that disastrous case? It is supposed to have been released by now but we have not heard about it. This is a lazy Government. All it has done is relax the welfare State. I predict that the numbers will go up. Explain to me why the numbers on the invalids benefit are predicted to skyrocket. Why is the cost of the invalids benefit going to double on your watch? It will double from $600 million to $1.2 billion by 2007. Well I ask you. Nobody even within the Ministry of Social Development has been able to explain that. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member is not to bring the Speaker into the debate. 
KATHERINE RICH 
: This is just predictable. Labour talked the talk it snuggled up to the social sector groups but I tell members that Labour is certainly not delivering and things are about to change.