Radhakrishnan PriyancaPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour): Kia orana Madam Chair. It is with great pleasure that I rise to talk about the Social Services and Community Committee and there is so much to talk about. Firstly there were a number of Government Ministers we heard from all of whom actually—completely contrary to what the previous speaker who resumed her seat Louise Upston said—were incredibly over the detail of their portfolios were compassionate to boot and reflected this coalition Government's focus on bringing kindness back and actually this Government's vision to ensure that everyone is able to live with dignity. That was across a number of portfolios whether it was about improving housing increasing public housing that's available or increasing affordable housing so that everyone has good-quality warm dry homes that they could actually afford to live in. There is the fact that Housing New Zealand houses are being redeveloped so that they're fit for purpose and large-scale developments across New Zealand that will include affordable housing as well. The Minister of Housing and Urban Development acknowledged that workforce constraints do pose a bit of a barrier. It is a bit of a challenge but there is significant work under way to determine solutions to that. At the end of the day we know—we heard from Ministers—that we do have a housing shortage. Members opposite have just started acknowledging that there is a housing crisis—the fact that we are short of about 71000 homes across the country. Ministers also outlined this Government's vision to eliminate poverty. The Child Poverty Reduction Bill will require this Government to develop and report on a strategy to promote the overall well-being of children—the child well-being strategy which is a cross-Government approach to ensure that every child is supported. We heard from the Minister for Women who outlined her vision to ensure that women are supported to live free from violence her focus on removing some of those barriers that women face to getting into leadership positions addressing pay equity and closing the gender pay gap. In social development—a massive amount of change both in terms of ensuring as I mentioned before that everyone is supported to live with dignity but also that the process that they go through whether it's through Work and Income or through Oranga Tamariki ensures that dignity is supported as well.The Families Package is a major policy initiative in Budget 2018 and it encompasses a variety of new initiatives aimed at increasing the incomes of low and middle income New Zealanders including the winter energy payment to ensure that those who are on a benefit—our superannuitants as well; many of whom can't afford the heating that they need to get through winter—are supported. There is the Best Start tax credit to ensure that every child in New Zealand has the best start in life changes to the accommodation supplement Working for Families tax credits—and the list goes on. The fact that of children in poverty 40 percent are from working households is a fact that this Government does not think is acceptable and has a plan to change it.Treating people with dignity—unlike again the previous speaker Louise Upston said the Minister did not come in and bag" the people working at the front lines as was alleged. That's absolutely untrue. What she talked about was strengthening the culture at Work and Income offices. That has actually been well-received. She was asked what feedback she'd got from Work and Income offices as well and it was positive. It's about supporting those at the front line to ensure that the people who are coming to Work and Income receive their full entitlement that they have a friendlier and more positive experience that it's not a top-down punitive approach that the previous Government actually championed. It's not about blaming those at the front line; it's about ensuring that those at the top make it OK for those at the front line to treat people well.I would go into social investment and the fact that the focus the previous Government had was on treating people like commodities and ensuring that they weren't a fiscal liability to the State not about what this Government is focusing on: social well-being."