Moroney Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMoroney Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 17 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18528. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.SUE MORONEY (Labour)to the Minister for Social Development: Will she agree to establish a cross-party taskforce to address the rates of child abuse and domestic violence in New Zealand as described in The People’s Report:The People’s Inquiry into Addressing Child Abuse and Domestic Violence?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development):No we are 95 days out from a general election and setting up a cross-party task force now would simply be all about politics.Sue Moroney: Talking about playing politics then does she recall that Labour when in Government did set up a multi-party working group on family violence and every party participated except the National Party which withdrew from the group in September 2006 and were invited to rejoin in August 2007 but declined—and that was quite some time before an election Minister?Hon PAULA BENNETT: And what a waste of time that was; it did nothing. So effectively your little cross-party task force did nothing to actually better the lives of the people who are living with domestic violence. You have proved your point—that your cross-party task force was ineffective and inefficient.Sue Moroney: Why did it take an individual businessman to initiate a report into our horrific rates of child abuse and domestic violence rather than the National Government stepping up and taking some responsibility?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Actually this Government has done many reports many reviews. I can point to the Children’s Action Plan as the first one when we did a white paper—actually there were 10000 submissions to that. We travelled up and down the country making sure that we got people to actually address it. The fact that Sir Owen Glenn has chosen to do this is actually a good thing if that is what he wants to do. We take it seriously we are interested in the outcomes of it and we will go forward from there.Sue Moroney: Can the Minister still claim that addressing domestic violence is a priority—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am having trouble hearing the question. I invite the member to start again.Sue Moroney: Can the Minister still claim that addressing domestic violence is a priority when under National the Task Force for Action on Sexual Violence was shelved the advocates for children and young people who witness family violence were scrapped the Te Rito Collaborative Community Family Violence Prevention Fund was canned and the family violence education services were disestablished?Hon PAULA BENNETT: And is this not the difference? That is all about the adults who pontificate to each other talk about what they want to do. None of it is about what is actually happening in a house and the services that need to really happen. So it is all about the next task force the next report the next kind of talking to each other that Labour would have us do when it is actually about services on the ground that are able to address it. I point to Whānau Ora. I point to the Children’s Action Plan. I point to the work on drug and alcohol abuse that is going through the health and justice systems. Those are the things that will make a difference.Carol Beaumont: What action will she take to ensure women’s refuges can meet the increasing demand from victims of domestic violence given that they are struggling to respond in the face of real cuts in baseline funding?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Women’s Refuge have millions more dollars a year now than it did under Labour. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Question No. 8—[Interruption]—Order!Hon PAULA BENNETT: Is that it?Mr SPEAKER: Yes that is the end of that question.