Ngaro Alfred: Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ngaro Alfred: Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 20 September 2012. Volume:684;Page:5533. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ALFRED NGARO (National) 
: 
 I stand here today unashamed. What I do is stand here to take a call on this Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill and to talk about first of all the purpose and the principles. The purpose of the Social Security Act 1964 is to help people to support themselves and their dependants. Section 1B “Principles” says in subsection (a): “work in paid employment offers the best opportunity for people to achieve social and economic well-being:”. There has been a lot of talk and rhetoric about the young people who are going overseas to the GC—the Gold Coast. But what we do not talk about is the GFC—the global financial crisis. That is some of the reality but somehow we forget about those things. 
This bill addresses purpose and principle. That is what is important. It helps people for whom work may not currently be an appropriate outcome and they should be assisted to plan for work for their futures. That is what this bill is doing. Very simply what we are doing here but very significantly is changing a brand in order to change a focus. There is something about a name to give focus and direction. This bill amends the Social Security Act 1964. It does not change its purpose; neither does it change its principles. But instead it wants to transform a system that needs to be changed because we are seeing many many of our people being trapped in this system as well—and we know. This system is like a good Clint Eastwood western: it has the good the bad and the ugly. So when we talk about sanctions when we talk about those who are inside that system it is the ugly side of the system that is being recognised on the other side in terms of people who are taking the system and taking it for a ride. When we talk about the bad in the system it is the parts of the system that have entrapped a lot of our people in this system as well. 
So what are we doing? We are rebranding benefits by calling them jobseeker support. That way we will have work expectations that are set depending on capacity. We are not beneficiary bashing; instead we are giving them a sense of hope and opportunity. Sole parent support is another new brand with a focus for sole parents with children under 14 years. From October this year sole parents are expected to be available for part-time work. Again it is only if they are available in the circumstances that are there. In terms of the supported living payment the ability to participate in society is very important. This was branded and the name was given by those in the disability sector themselves. They wanted to brand it as the supported living payment. Their sense was that they want to be active contributors to our community as well. In the  
Solutions to Child Poverty in New Zealand 
 report that was brought out the issues and options paper for consultation it simply said that one of the range of areas that are absolutely important to reducing poverty—and we are not talking about just child poverty; we are talking about family poverty—is the opportunities for work and employment. To increase household incomes—that is the focus of this bill. We are supportive of that. We are thankful to the Minister for Social Development who has put forward a vision and a hope for our people and in our community. Thank you. I commend this bill.