Chadwick Steve: Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
Chadwick Steve: Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:617;Page:13499] 
STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) 
: 
 I am amazed to find this sort of levity in the Chamber today. It shows that everybody here is totally in support of this very very significant Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill. We are light-hearted optimistic and really thrilled. Even though we have heard very sad bitter and cynical opposition from members opposite to the Budget yesterday and now the introduction of the Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill I know that mothers and young parents in the Opposition like Simon Power really do believe that families deserve assistance. They really do understand that unless we front-end load investment into families we will never ever get over the stigmatisation of at-risk families in this country. 
Any member of this House who has been an electorate MP who has sat down with families in despair gone through their entitlements under the old Social Security Act and worked out that they are getting all their benefit entitlements but still cannot afford to pay their indebtedness get the power restored or get that food parcel knows in his or her heart of hearts that this legislation is an absolutely fantastic fillip for families in New Zealand today. Members opposite talk about our not understanding that flat-tax rates—their idea of the future—actually provide a benefit. But we are front-end loading families so that they are resilient are optimistic have hope and ultimately participate in society in a productive way and that is what this bill achieves. 
It also achieves a beautiful elegance in the benefit system not a dependency. I congratulate the Greens on the work they have done with us in our electorate to help beneficiaries understand how to get their full entitlements. I made several phone calls from my office last night to check back with a few of my constituents who had had to have help. They had already rung the 0800 number. They had already used the 0800 number to learn what would be in the Budget for them and they were absolutely thrilled. They were prepared to wait. Those constituents did not even know there was an election next year—that is how disempowered they have been. But they knew that help was on the way for them and I found that absolutely gratifying. 
I also had a phone call from my son who would like to thank Mr Maharey. In 3 years’ time when his daughter who was born last week is 3 she will be entitled to 20 free hours of childcare. He said that was fantastic. My son is young and upwardly mobile he has a huge student debt and a wife who wants to go back to university and they will need childcare so Mr Maharey is helping them enormously. He thanks Mr Maharey and Dr Cullen for a fabulous Budget yesterday. 
Once Opposition members truly read the detail in this bill they will see the elegance of it see the change to the benefit system whereby people will know what their entitlements are and then will feel that they are truly empowered to grow healthy and resilient families. I thank Mr Maharey.