Pettis Jill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Pettis Jill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:632;Page:4336] 
11.  
JILL PETTIS (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What recent reports if any has he received recommending changes to the current welfare system? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 I have seen an extraordinary report that the Government should cease supporting sickness beneficiaries back into employment. I have seen also a report that controls on beneficiaries that are currently applied to some Australian Aboriginal communities should be introduced into New Zealand. These are the mad ideas of National’s welfare spokesperson Judith Collins. Even she admits they are unacceptable to many in her own caucus which is why National at present has no welfare policy as is demonstrated by its weekend conference. 
Jill Pettis 
: What other proposals has the Minister seen on changes to the welfare system? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: Despite unemployment dropping 22 percent in the last year to below 40000 for the first time since 1982 I have seen a bizarre proposal to resurrect a make-work scheme at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of $103 million per year. Perhaps we can best sum up such proposals in Judith Collins’ own words: “… one of the challenges I’ve got … is actually trying to get our policy in a state so that we can actually sell it.” That is because as this Government gets more and more successful at getting people back into employment Judith Collins gets more and more extreme. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Tena koe Madam Speaker. He aha nga whakarereketanga kei te whakaaro a ia i runga i nga korero i whakaputaina e te ripoata Tautikanga Ora i ki ra e 61 o-rau o nga kaiwhiwhi penihana he tamariki o ratau he tino pohara i te tau 2004 he tino rahi ake i te 41 o-rau i te tau 2000; kai te whiwhita ranei tenei Kawanatanga i tenei tu ahuatanga ka whakarerea te pani me te rawakore kia patua e enei kaupapa taurekareka. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
What changes will he be proposing to respond to the statistics as revealed in the living standards report that 61 percent of beneficiaries with children were in significant or severe hardship in 2004 a huge increase up from 41 percent in the year 2000; or is this Government prepared to stand by and continue to let our most vulnerable the children of this nation suffer from its policy of neglect? 
] 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: This Government is not standing by and not supporting people in areas of need. I am pleased to inform the member that further detailed information will be released that contradicts those rather broad-brush statistics that he referred to. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: He aha nga whakarereketanga kei te whakaaro a ia hei whakatika i nga kaupapa toko i te ora i runga i te ahua kua piki ake te utu mo nga koha pohara mai i te 5 ki te 6 miriona taara ki te 11 miriona taara neke atu ka noho ranei tenei kawana ka tukuna kia whara te hunga tino pohara i o ratou kaupapa whakaiti tangata? 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
What changes will he be making to the welfare system to respond to the fact that hardship grants have blown out from around $5 million or $6 million to over $11 million; or is this Government prepared to stand by and continue to let our most vulnerable the impoverished continue to suffer from its policy of neglect? 
] 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I do not need to remind the member of the extraordinary achievements of this Government in moving beneficiaries into work over the last period. I am sure he would agree that the likelihood of support for the less privileged in this community will certainly come from this side of the House rather than from those with whom he appears to align himself.