Sepuloni CarmelSOCIAL SECURITY BILLRESIDENTIAL CARE AND DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES BILLARTIFICIAL LIMB SERVICE BILLThird ReadingsHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development): I move That the Social Security Bill the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Bill and the Artificial Limb Service Bill be now read a third time.It is fitting that I stand here today almost 80 years to the day since the first Labour Government introduced the Social Security Act in 1938. The 1938 Act established one of the first comprehensive social security systems in the world overhauling the pension system and extending benefits for families disabled people and the unemployed. Since then New Zealand's social security Act has been rewritten just once in 1964. The Social Security Act 1964 remains the legislative basis of our welfare system today despite being over half a century old. When the 1964 Act was first passed it had 135 sections. The current Act now boasts over 500 sections some of which have been repealed and amended multiple times. This makes for a very outdated disorganised and complex Act. Since the 1964 Act there have been many calls for it to be completely rewritten both from within this House and outside of it. I'm proud to stand here today to present this long-overdue rewrite and bring our social security legislation into the modern day. I want to acknowledge the honourable member for the East Coast Anne Tolley and her colleagues on the other side of the House for the role they have played in bringing this important piece of legislation to the House. I'd like to acknowledge the many people who have given their time and expertise to this rewrite. Thank you to the Social Services Committee and the 121 submitters who provided invaluable insight into this legislation. To the Ministry of Social Development staff and Parliamentary Counsel Office drafters who have worked on this rewrite over the past five years I want to thank them for their dedication and commitment to rewriting this legislation and I am sure they are all breathing a breath of relief. When I came in as the Minister for Social Development I had to consider how I wanted to progress this piece of legislation. I had made my opposition known in regards to the legislation as it had been introduced. I like my colleagues on this side of the House and many others who presented during the select committee process had concerns about the policy changes that had been included in the legislation. As the Minister I could have chosen to put some new policy changes in there as well. However I made the decision to remove those policy changes that had been put in and to progress it as a truly policy-neutral rewrite. I'd heard the concerns about the legislation itself—about how hard it was to understand and use—and I experienced this myself when trying to look up different parts of the Act. This was too big an opportunity to use it as a political football. We needed a better legislative foundation for our social welfare system and that is what this legislation provides. I really liked the analogy my colleague the Hon Nanaia Mahuta used—you have to sweep the floor before you can put down the new furniture—and that is what this legislation is. It is the sweeping of the floor so that we have a solid platform to make some real positive changes to the welfare system. I hope it is now clear that the purpose of this rewrite is to improve the clarity coherency accessibility and legislative structure of the Social Security Act 1964. I have remained committed to this purpose and before the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill's second reading I released Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 25 that built on the widespread support for rewriting the Act whilst removing the significant policy changes from the bill. One of the most controversial policy changes that I removed with this SOP—which I'm sure will be spoken to today in the House by the Opposition—was the insertion of a principle to further the previous Government's rhetoric around social investment. Now for me personally the idea of social investment itself is not a bad thing—investing more now to achieve better outcomes in the long term for our people is something that most people would agree with—but what the previous Government had called social investment was not that. For one they seemed to forget about the actual investing part which requires more support more services and more money towards people in the short term and the narrative they used was not one of investing but rather one of liability and risk and that is not what this Government believes in. We know that our people are our greatest asset and in order to further New Zealand economically and socially we need to believe in people and support them so that they can reach their full potential. That drives everything this Government does. Already we have made some positive changes to the lives of New Zealanders which is reflected in this legislation. Through our Families Package we have increased the income of 384000 families by an average of $75 per week and we will lift 64000 children out of poverty by 2021. I'm proud to have made progress in this rewrite and to be standing here today in the final stages of the legislative process to bring this old and patched-up Act into the modern era. Both sides of the House have recognised the significance of this legislation and that New Zealanders deserve social security legislation that can be read and understood by people without years of legal training. The legislation we are debating looks very different to the 1964 Act. Following enactment of these three bills the 1964 Act will be replaced by three new and separate Acts: the Social Security Act the Artificial Limb Service Act and the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act. Legislation regarding the Artificial Limb Service and residential care and disability support services does not fit well within the current Social Security Act and it is appropriate that these both become stand-alone pieces of legislation. Once enacted the separation of these Acts will ensure clarity and accessibility for the public and it will also ensure that provisions are fit for purpose within the relevant legislation. The Social Security Bill has a logical structure and flow and there is a helpful guide to compare the 1964 Act with the new Act. The new legislation is clear coherent consistent and accessible. As an example the Social Security Bill groups all financial assistance measures together unlike the 1964 Act where main benefits are separated and supplementary assistance is included in seven different parts. The legislation uses modern drafting style and provides more explanation and guidance for users. To improve accessibility and readability there is a full contents table at the start of the Social Security Bill and a further contents table is provided for each part and each corresponding schedule. Taken as a whole the legislation is easier for people to navigate use and understand. This will help ensure New Zealanders understand and have access to their entitlements. This year we celebrate 80 years since New Zealand implemented one of the world's first comprehensive welfare States through the 1938 Social Security Act. This will be the second rewrite in the Act's history and it is an essential and timely update of this legislation.Most New Zealanders have relied on or will rely on this legislation at some point in their lives. It is the basis of the safety net that lies beneath all of us and it is critical that we can all use it and understand it. I am proud to be here as the Minister for Social Development to herald in a new Act that will provide the foundation for a more empathetic supportive and positive welfare system for people whānau and their communities across Aotearoa New Zealand. I hereby commend the Social Security Bill the Artificial Limb Service Bill and the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Bill to the House.