Beyer Georgina: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Beyer Georgina: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:623;Page:18229] 
1. GEORGINA BEYER (Labour—Wairarapa) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What reports has he received on benefit restructuring? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 The Government has asked for and received reports on reforming and simplifying the whole structure of the benefit system with the aim of increasing opportunities and support for beneficiaries who are able to work. The first step will be a new delivery model for Work and Income that will increase assistance to people to prepare for and return to work as rapidly as possible. Those who are genuinely unable to take up work opportunities will be exempt from this process. This will be supported by a proposed single core benefit to replace the seven main benefits currently available to people of working age. 
Georgina Beyer 
: What other approaches to welfare restructuring has the Minister seen? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I have seen an approach involving the adopting out of babies for mothers on the domestic purposes benefit compulsory immunisation on threat of benefit removal and make-work schemes. These policies do not appear to enjoy the full support of the group that is putting them forward however as I have seen the abrupt sacking of the leading expert on the topic who had the temerity to say that opportunities were more important than punishment. I can reveal that that group is the National Party which is now thoroughly split on welfare policy. 
Judith Collins 
: Is the Minister confident that the Kiwi bachelor struggling on the minimum wage believes for one moment that there are no able-bodied adults sitting around collecting benefits when the Hawke’s Bay stone fruit is rotting on the ground and in the Waikato asparagus crops rot in the fields; if not—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is the one interjection I am allowing today and that member will apologise. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I apologise. 
Judith Collins 
: —if not is he prepared to get out of his ivory tower and help the market gardeners who are seeing their crops wasted? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The Kiwi battler will be one of the people enjoying a 3.8 percent unemployment rate the second-lowest in the developed world. He will be enjoying I think the fact that there is a 58 percent drop in the number of people who are unemployed—more people are employed than ever before in the history of this country—and a 20 percent drop overall in the number of people on working-age benefits. In particular he will be enjoying the fact that this Government has a seasonal workers strategy and the National Party did not. 
Bill Gudgeon 
: Does the Minister expect benefit restructuring to reduce dependency on the State; if so how long will it be before this happens and what will be the numbers? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I would hope that benefit restructuring will contribute to more people returning to the workplace in part-time and full-time work. The Government’s record so far is to reduce the number of people on benefits by about 100000 and we will want to continue to drop that number. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: Why are benefit numbers in last year’s Economic and Fiscal Update forecast to grow over the next 3 years by 1000 next year 11000 the following year and 21000 the year after? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The member is referring to the regular forecasts provided by Treasury. I think Treasury assumes that the ageing nature of our population may be a major contributor towards people being on a benefit but I point out to the member that every year since this Government has been in power Treasury has forecast a rise in numbers. We have actually seen the numbers go down. 
Sue Bradford 
: Can the Minister assure beneficiaries that under the new single benefit system no beneficiaries will end up receiving less income support than they do currently? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I certainly respect the member’s interest in that particular issue and as I have previously I will give her another assurance that there will be no losers under this system.