Tolley Anne: Social Security Amendment Bill (No 3) — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTolley Anne: Social Security Amendment Bill (No 3) — Second Reading[Sitting date: 17 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1619. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): When the House was last discussing this bill I was outlining that the bill amends the Social Security Act of 1964 so that the benefits system treats people in similar circumstances consistently—because if it is not consistent it is not fair—and the fact that this bill brings in changes because at the moment the Act allows some people who are receiving weekly compensation to be treated differently depending on who is paying that compensation. It also allows some students to get access to a higher rate of accommodation assistance than others.So just dealing with that first issue I was explaining that for one group of people they are having their weekly compensation payments deducted dollar for dollar and another group of people are having their weekly compensation payments treated as income and that is not fair because if those payments were treated as income higher benefit payments would result as income affects the benefit by abatement. So for example under abatement for jobseeker support the first $80 to $100 of other incomes does not result in any reduction of the person’s benefit at all but for each additional dollar after that the benefit is reduced by up to 70c. So the amendments set out in the bill make sure that no group of people who are paid weekly compensation will get a substantially higher benefit payment for the sole reason that they have their weekly compensation paid by an accredited employer rather than ACC.It also means that if a claim for weekly compensation fails after the payments have been made by an accredited employer or by ACC a benefit application can be treated as if it was received at the time of the accident. So the backdated benefit payments offset in that case the amount of weekly compensation that the person has to repay. The Ministry of Social Development has treated all weekly compensation payments the same regardless of who is making the payments but the ministry had before the court decision understood that payments of weekly compensation made by or on behalf of accredited employers ought to be treated the same as payments of weekly compensation by ACC. This bill confirms that practice. One exception to that is the person who won an appeal to the Social Security Appeal Authority. That person is protected by the provisions in the bill and will not have to repay the additional benefit money received after that decision.The changes set out in this bill will make sure that the Social Security Act treats two groups of people—the students who are trying to access a higher rate of accommodation assistance through one door rather than the same door that most students are following and then those people who are receiving weekly compensation no matter who is paying them that compensation—in a consistent manner because that is only fair and right.Can I take just a minute as I close before commending this bill to acknowledge as I did very briefly in my answer to a question in the House today the work of a woman whom New Zealand lost last evening and that is Celia Lashlie. She is described as a social campaigner but she is well known in the country through her work with the Good Man project. I actually have someone working in my office who was one of those students in the 25 boys’ schools that Celia worked with throughout the country. That formed the basis of her book He’ll Be OK: Growing Gorgeous Boys into Good Men which is a terrific book particularly for parents of boys. The other book that I think is probably essential reading for anyone who becomes or has aspirations to become the Minister of Corrections is The Journey to Prison: Who Goes and Why. It is a tough read but as I say it is essential reading for anyone who has the responsibility of incarcerating New Zealand citizens.Celia did a lot of work across the social and justice sectors. She worked for the probation services and she worked in corrections for many years. She was a woman who was not afraid to say the things that needed to be said. Sometimes we did not like to hear it but actually she was fearless in standing up for New Zealanders who could not speak for themselves and for some of the New Zealanders who were at most risk in our communities. So we wish her well. We know that she has gone upwards and has gone to a far better place and will be looking down on us. She did not have much time for politicians but we know that she will be looking down on and listening to us.In conclusion this is a good bill and I commend this bill to the House.