O'Connor SimonSIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki): What an extraordinary contribution from that member the supposed Minister for Social Development who in the last five seconds of her speech started to turn to her portfolio ran out of ideas with three seconds to go and decided to talk about the education portfolio. It's an exact example of a Government that has absolutely nothing to do. In fact she talked about being cynical about the discussion document that National put out but I actually think she's probably more jealous. There are more ideas and suggestions in that document than anything we've seen from this Government and then to add absolute insult to injury if we go back in the Hansard the Minister's talking about how proud and happy she is. How can she be proud with more people on the unemployment benefit? More young people looking for work? How is she proud of the almost 14000 New Zealand households looking for a State house? How on earth can anyone be proud? After that cackling contribution it's funny how as I point this out the other side has gone quiet because you cannot be proud of those statistics. Hon Chris Hipkins: I'm falling asleep. SPEAKER: Order! It would be inappropriate for members to do that in the House. SIMON O'CONNOR: Thank you Mr Speaker. How they can be proud of those figures I don't know. I want to particularly focus on the social housing area. It's one of my three portfolios. What's been really striking in social housing is just the stark numbers. The last quarterly report has come out: just under 14000 Kiwi households are now waiting for a State house. When we left Government that was just shy of 6000. I've said many times in this House that it was not something to be proud of but from 6000 to now almost 14000 families waiting it is getting absolutely worse under this Government. The Government makes a big claim about all the houses they're building. One has to make two observations about that. A good number of those houses being built are the ones started and consented by National. Secondly if all these amazing houses have been built why is it that things are increasing so badly? In just the last year we've seen almost a 50 percent increase. It's almost doubled in itself in a year of people waiting for State houses and about 90 percent of that number—90 percent of those 14000 houses—are priority A. These are people in absolute dire need. We on this side want to find solutions and if you read the discussion document and the contributions I've made for me it's fundamentally important that we engage into the public sector and in particular the community housing providers. Why I put that out there is because the other side of the House—the Government—was obsessed with the opportunities to do it themselves. The bungled failed mess of KiwiBuild—an absolute disaster. An array of legislation they've put through which has absolutely cooled the market and undermined those who provide private rentals again contributing to the problem that we have and an array of rhetoric which has achieved nothing—absolutely nothing. A Prime Minister who came out a couple of years ago talking a big game that There'll be no more homelessness in New Zealand. No one will have to be in cars." In fact even in her very limited contribution in the House today she talked about not wanting kids with torchlights in cars. Well we all aspire to that but for all her talk it's got worse. It has got so much worse under this Labour Government. In fact the number of people in motels is now over 3000. It's got hugely hugely—with 3000 families in motels. Phil Twyford one of the former Ministers of Housing promised that no one—no one—would have to be in motels. In fact two winters ago the Government also promised that no one—no one—would be homeless this winter. The funny thing is and the tragic thing is that more people are homeless. More people are waiting for a State house. More people are waiting in cars. Marja Lubeck: It's not very funny. It's not funny Simon. SIMON O'CONNOR: It's got worse. All that happens—and someone says "It's not funny." That's the whole point having been making light humour of this. It's Labour's new interjector trying to remind her colleagues that she's there. The thing is that we've got—I suppose that wasn't actually humorous. That was probably just—anyway that's not the point. The point is it isn't funny and that's why we have put this discussion document together. I welcome New Zealand's contributions. Thank you Mr Speaker."