Twyford Phil: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTwyford Phil: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 25 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2566. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū)to the Minister for Social Housing: What reports if any has she received about the Salvation Army saying it felt pressured into carrying out expensive time-consuming research on buying unwanted State houses because the Government repeatedly referred to the charity as a likely buyer?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Housing):I have not received any such reports. What I have seen reports of though is the Salvation Army saying that it is supportive of the Government’s intentions to have community housing organisations involved in the management of social housing. Ironically a similar statement has been made in the past from that member himself. The Salvation Army has said that it is keen to pursue housing partnerships between itself the Government and other groups and that is exactly what our social housing reforms are all about.Phil Twyford: Was she consulted before Bill English cynically politicised the good name of the Salvation Army to sugar-coat this Government’s crumbling policy to flog off thousands of State houses to property developers; and if she was consulted why did she not stop him?Hon PAULA BENNETT: The only thing that is crumbling is some of those houses because of the neglect from Labour for so long on the maintenance of them so that this Government is having to play catch-up. That is actually the state of those State houses. So yes we have been putting in literally billions into maintaining them and making sure that they are warm and that they have got the right things. But at the end of the day that is what is crumbling and it is that member’s past history in State housing.Phil Twyford: Given the Prime Minister’s statement that “This is not about selling to developers” and Bill English’s statement that “We are in talks with developers.” where does she stand on selling State houses to property developers?Hon PAULA BENNETT: This Government has always been very clear that it is likely to be a housing consortia that get together that it will be community housing providers that are leading that and they must be registered and when we are looking at the sales of these houses we are also looking at the tenants that are within them and that is the difference with it. Yes we imagine that community housing providers will go into partnership with some developers. I see that happening already and we already see some quite impressive developments going on that are working alongside community housing providers. It is consistent with what both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have said.Paul Foster-Bell: What reports has she seen about support from the community housing sector for the Government’s social housing reforms?Hon PAULA BENNETT: During our national consultation I saw just how much support there is from the community housing sector for what the Government is doing. I have also seen a press release from an approved community housing provider Accessible Properties which says that “Accessible Properties remains committed to pursuing the purchase of housing from the New Zealand Government … ‘We’ll keep talking to the Government and to the private sector in our commitment to help people in need into good quality homes.’ ”Phil Twyford: Does she agree with the Prime Minister’s promise that houses sold on would have to be retained for social housing or with Bill English’s statement this week that this would no longer be the case; and was she consulted on the flip-flop?Hon PAULA BENNETT: There has been no flip-flop and I know the member has struggled to understand the policy that we have when it comes to housing tenants and that is what this is actually about. So the member might count houses and think that the job is done but actually we have a number of New Zealanders who have been living in completely unsatisfactory conditions for generations and to my mind have been neglected. We will do better than this.Phil Twyford: So you weren’t consulted on the flip-flop?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Trust me I am consulted and working the whole way through this policy.Paul Foster-Bell: What other reports has she seen about support for the Government’s social housing programme?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I have seen a report agreeing with the direction the Government is taking with housing and it says “we need large scale urban developments backed by private sector developers and community organisations. Such developments cannot happen without the Government playing a role. Private sector developers will invest”—it says—“and do what they do best: designing and building great places for people.” And that of course ladies and gentlemen was from Phil Twyford himself.Phil Twyford: Is it not true that by contrast her policy will allow private developers and speculators to buy these houses at knock-down prices sit on them for a short time kick out the tenants flog off the houses and pocket the capital gain; and how will this policy help poor and vulnerable families who need secure State and social housing?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Absolutely not; none of that is true.Phil Twyford: Can she confirm that her emergency housing boost announced today is a full $500000 less than the cost of a two-bedroom unit an hour out of Auckland; and how will that make up for the damage done to Kiwi families living in garages and camp grounds on her watch by her State house sell-off?Hon PAULA BENNETT: By the very policy—if it was true which of course it is not; it has not even started yet. So the $500000 which I am quite proud of is to support those providers that are providing emergency housing now while we work through a longer more sustainable funding process.