McClay Todd: Social Assistance (New Work Tests Incentives and Obligations) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
McClay Todd: Social Assistance (New Work Tests Incentives and Obligations) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:665;Page:13159] 
TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) 
: 
 It gives me pleasure to rise and speak in the Committee stage of the Social Assistance (New Work Tests Incentives and Obligations) Amendment Bill. I thank the Minister in the chair the Minister for Social Development and Employment for the hard work she has put in. I thank her on behalf of taxpayers in New Zealand not only those who work hard in this country and who pay their taxes so that we can afford to pay benefits to those who are less fortunate but also the beneficiaries who for far too long have believed that they have been trapped in an established system but who want to genuinely do better for themselves and their families. I thank the Minister for her hard work. 
The previous speaker Nanaia Mahuta said that unemployment had increased in New Zealand because of things that this Government has done. I tell that member that slightly before 2008 a recession hit New Zealand. New Zealand went into recession before other countries in the world but in 2008 a recession hit the whole world. The unemployment rates of the majority of countries that one would describe as having a modern economy went up. I know that the previous Labour Government over 9 years did everything it possibly could so that the New Zealand economy could no longer be defined or described as a modern economy but we were left with quite some mess. This is the start of the direction towards helping New Zealanders to help themselves. 
Before I get to a couple of points that I think are important to make at this stage of the debate I recognise that Mr Sio made quite a good speech earlier. However I was not convinced that he believed everything he said. He was probably asked to stand up and rattle out a few things that his research department had given him. He said that there are New Zealanders who are not educated who have not been given chances and who do not have experience; therefore there are no jobs for them. It sounded to me like the Labour Opposition was saying that that is good enough. Well it might be good enough for those members but this Government is about helping New Zealanders and making sure that they have educational opportunities. In the Budget this year more money was put into education. Members opposite do not want to recognise that but the public realise that more money was put into education. It is about helping people to help themselves. 
The other very important point here is that this legislation is about an election promise to reform the welfare system which we made in 2007 and 2008. If members opposite do not like that perhaps they should have worked harder and campaigned harder in 2008. At the very least when they were in Government they should have listened more to what New Zealanders wanted and to their ambitions. This legislation like what we campaigned on focuses on what people can do not what they cannot do. I am proud as are my colleagues on this side of the Chamber that we in New Zealand have a system of social welfare that helps people when they need it the most. We also need a system that encourages and assists people to do better for themselves and for their families and that does not create welfare dependency when it is not necessary. 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: Who wrote that? 
TODD McCLAY 
: I tell Mrs Chadwick that I wrote that myself as it is something that I believe in. If that member listens to people around the country she will hear that they are aspirational and want change as well. We need a system that encourages and assists people to do better for themselves. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.