King Annette: Social Housing Reform (Flexible Purchasing and Remedial Matters) Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Social Housing Reform (Flexible Purchasing and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3676. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour): The reason why I want to take a call in this debate—and we are on the title—is that this is the only chance this House has to examine this bill to scrutinise this bill. It is the only chance New Zealand has to have this bill scrutinised by eyes other than the Government’s which is why we are taking this debate so seriously. We are looking at each part of the bill and doing our job on behalf of the taxpayers of New Zealand because this Government would not let this bill which has nothing urgent in it at all go to a select committee. So I think we need to go step by step taking whatever time it takes to make sure that at the end of this process the people of New Zealand know that we did a good day’s work—maybe 2 days’ work or it could be 3 days’ work—examining this legislation because the lazy Government opposite would not send it to a select committee. The best speech those members have made all day is: “I move that the question be now put.” That is the speech from Government on this very important bill that we have before us.Well I have some got information to bring to this Chamber. We are talking about social housing which is what the title of this bill is and it is about the flexibility that is going to come from this social housing reform. We have been told that we need this bill—and the title of this bill—because it is going to make changes in the way that community housing is provided. So I thought: “What do the community housing people themselves think about this bill?”. Well they have just put out a press statement about this bill.Chris Bishop: Oh yes.Hon ANNETTE KING: They have said this. The community housing organisations say: “the government’s budget initiatives on housing are too timid—and won’t deliver the results needed.” These are the very groups that the Government—it says—wants to hand over community housing to. They said: “We hear loud and clear that the government intends to transfer some Housing New Zealand properties for use as ongoing social housing run by community housing providers.” They then said: “What the sector is trying to communicate equally clearly is that the better future is one where those properties can be regenerated made fit for purpose and deliver a whole range of better community outcomes not just put a new landlord in place.” Say yes now Mr Bishop. They said we should “not just put a new landlord in place”.They asked what about the regions? “What are you doing for the regions?” they said. They said that there was an urgent need to look at the accommodation supplement “which currently costs the Government $1.1 billion [and] is in dire need of review and adjustment.” and they go on. So I suggest members that you turn on your iPads and have a look to see what the latest reports are from the very groups that are supposed to be the beneficiaries of this social housing reform.As I said before the word “reform” indicates that it is supposed to be something that is an improvement but what we are hearing from the community housing sector is that it does not see it as an improvement. So this bill is not properly named and I am sure that those who have been in this House for a while will know how important it is to correctly name a bill. We have been warned many times that we ought to name bills correctly.Let us listen to the only submission that we have received on this bill and that has come in right now from the umbrella group Community Housing Aotearoa. That is the only submission we have got because it was not allowed to make one so it has put out a press statement. I have read out to the members opposite what that group thinks about this bill. Well if that group counts for anything the National Government would be pulling this bill and saying: “Let’s send it to a select committee and hear submissions from New Zealanders.”—maybe even a tenant or two. Heaven help us that they should be allowed a voice when it comes to community housing! You see the Minister for Social Housing blew it yesterday when she told us what tenants are thought of and called by the National Government. Do you know what they are called? They are not called tenants or people; they are called cohorts. She said: “We are talking about cohorts.” and she was not calling them tenants or people. That really is an indication of how out of touch the Government opposite is when it comes to social housing.