Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Henare Tau: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:676;Page:21801] 
11. 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What steps has the Government taken to reduce welfare dependency? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 This Government believes that we can and we must continue to support people to get off welfare and into work. Under this Government during very difficult times we have had a number of successes over the past 3 years. For example nearly 10000 people are off the unemployment benefit because we introduced a simple process to make them reapply. More jobs come every week into Work and Income and more people are available for work. Under the previous Labour Government we saw many transfers between— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: This question asked “What steps has the Government taken to reduce welfare dependency?”. It did not ask anything about the former Labour Government. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Sorry Mr Speaker. I was merely pointing out that we have seen fewer transfers between benefits under this Government because of our focus on making sure that we get people on to the right benefit at this time. We have seen a number of successes. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: What reports has she seen that discuss welfare changes? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I have seen a number of reports. I have seen reports that defend a so-called sort of job-focused record where in reality we actually saw the number of people on the sickness benefit and the invalids benefits more than double during a period in the 2000s. I have seen reports of work-for-the-dole schemes in drag. Meanwhile this Government of course has had more than 12000 young people going through our successful Job Ops programme and more than 90 percent of them staying in jobs. I have seen reports of a peak in numbers on the youth unemployment benefit in January 2010 and more than 10000 of them coming off since then. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: I seek leave to table data from the New Zealand quarterly employment survey from the Parliamentary Library— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is the document prepared by the Parliamentary Library? 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: It is. It shows that the number of people employed went up 25 percent under Labour and has declined 3.3 percent under this National Government. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Dr Rajen Prasad 
: What sustainable evidence does the Minister have that her policies will reduce welfare dependency given that the number of people receiving the domestic purposes benefit is at a 10-year high and the cost to taxpayers has increased by nearly $200 million since she became the Minister? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: What I do know about people on the domestic purposes benefit is that there are actually 15600 people on the domestic purposes benefit who are doing part-time work. Prior to our Government’s Future Focus changes this was more like just over 13000. Nearly 12000 people have gone off the domestic purposes benefit— 
Carmel Sepuloni 
: We do know that a lot of them can’t put food on their table for their kids. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I know that that member is kind of angry and this might be her last question time but it is OK—it is OK. Nearly 12000 people have gone off the domestic purposes benefit into full-time work and I think that is an achievement. 
Carmel Sepuloni 
: Did the Minister decline the opportunity to appear on  
Back Benches 
 alongside me and Sue Bradford because— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Speaker must be able to hear the question to be able to determine whether it is in order at all and I cannot hear the question with that kind of interjection level. Carmel Sepuloni may start again. 
Carmel Sepuloni 
: Did the Minister decline the opportunity to appear on  
Back Benches 
 alongside me and Sue Bradford because firstly she thinks she would be unable to effectively defend her actions in respect of welfare reform and her Government’s failure to address increasing unemployment or secondly because she knows she would be unable to? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: For 3 years I have been looking for that killer hit from Labour and I would say that I have not seen it yet. What I would say to the member is that firstly I think it is cute that she is gasping for breath and trying to get an audience by using my own profile and secondly that she might recognise that I am not a backbencher. See you next time honey. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Members have had their fun. We come to question No. 12 in the name of Gareth Hughes. [ 
Interruption 
] I want to hear Gareth Hughes. [ 
Interruption 
] The Hon Annette King ought to cease interjecting.