Martin TraceyHon TRACEY MARTIN (Minister for Children): Kia ora Madam Assistant Speaker thank you very much. I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to speak to the Families Commission Act Repeal Bill. Can I acknowledge Louise Upston the speaker who just resumed her seat. Yes that speaker referred to the fact that this was a piece of work that was left behind undone by the previous administration. She's quite right. This is another piece that the current Government is just having to tie up—another loose end left behind after nine years that we're just having to make sure we pass through and tie up tidily. I'm interested that that previous speaker was somewhat disappointed and surprised and expressed concern about a shortened report back from the select committee on this bill considering it was the previous Government that had actually stripped everything away and had just left a shell of what was the social policy evaluation and research unit (SuPERU) and that this piece of legislation was inevitable due to the actions taken by the previous administration. So it doesn't seem to sort of resonate the fact that there was some concern that the Opposition would like to take a very long time in select committee for something that they had organised so that there was no turning back anyway.I also note the contribution from the previous speaker—and the Minister who introduced the bill back at its second reading—around the Social Investment Agency. I acknowledge the member's—how would you put it?—compliment I suppose to the current administration: that they have retained the Social Investment Agency. And yes that is quite right. I would argue—and I have argued and I am arguing—that the previous administration created such a sense of distrust among our families and so on around the term social investment" that there is something to be said for changing the name of the agency. That is not official Government policy; that is me speaking—just because I know that some people freak out when Ministers articulate a particular perspective—but it would have to be said that the previous administration used the Social Investment Agency to create an equation of risk to the State by those of our New Zealand citizens that needed support. It's the type of support that the Families Commission Act and the research that's been done—that's the type of evidence that we have been given over the last so many years since it was originally passed back in 2003—that has enabled Governments to actually try and make sure that they focus on the well-being of their families and children within them. But the previous administration chose to use that evidence and that data and the research provided to use a deficit thinking model—to try and actually use this information and research provided to find out what sort of risk would that person that New Zealander be to the State and say therefore "We will pounce on them stigmatise them and then try and make them do things to better themselves." I think that would describe how it was done. So what this Government is going to do through the Social Investment Agency and through other pieces of legislation like the child poverty piece of legislation—and the Prime Minister and I are currently working on the child well-being strategy—is to use that information in a positive way to establish what well-being looks like. It is not what risk looks like to the country but what well-being looks like. Then through the child well-being strategy—knowing that children don't live alone; children live in families—if we improve the environment and make sure that there is a standard of well-being that we will all strive for for our children then naturally that will lift the families. So that's the way that the research and the evidence that has previously been provided by the organisation SuPERU and the organisations that some of those pieces have been shifted to like the Ministry of Justice the Ministry of Social Development—that's how they will work together with other Government departments to actually support the legacy of what was the Families Commission Act 2003 which as I mentioned previously was introduced by Peter Dunne. I do want to take every opportunity to acknowledge Peter Dunne. Mr Dunne spent many years in this House. He was often a strong contributor and this was one of the pieces of legislation that in 2003 he managed to achieved through the support agreement with the Labour Government. It was quite controversial at the time so he did actually have to take quite a lot of flak around the creation of this particular ministry or department.So from that perspective I think it is in one way a shame but in another way it's a testament to how we have moved forward by shifting these responsibilities—the research responsibilities and other responsibilities—that were previously embedded inside this organisation further out through Government departments. As the Minister said in the contribution to deliver the second reading as long as the collaboration and coordination is still there—and it is our view that under the child well-being strategy it will be even stronger because there will be a requirement for that collaboration and coordination of all Government departments to support children and therefore their families going forward. We believe that this was a good thing at the time but it is a moment that has gone and now we can actually spread out that responsibility. So with that said I will just close by saying that New Zealand First supports the legislation. Kia ora."