1. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does he have confidence in the Minister for Social Development and Employment?
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes, the Prime Minister does, and he has a lot more confidence in the Minister than a certain Charles Chauvel had in a former Minister when, as president—
Mr SPEAKERThe question did not ask “if so, why”, it simply asked whether the Prime Minister had confidence in the Minister.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. That question was open-ended. I am allowed to give reasons, comparisons, analogies, and anecdotes that back up my answer. Surely you are not going to rule that out.
The Speaker is the sole judge of those matters, and where the Speaker perceives that it will lead to disorder the Speaker may ask the member to desist.
Did the Minister for Social Development and Employment advise the Prime Minister that her decision to cut the Enterprising Communities scheme would lead to 3,000 job losses; if so, how can he have confidence in a Minister who is creating more job losses than job opportunities?
The Prime Minister has a great deal more confidence in the Minister than a certain Charles Chauvel had in a former Minister when, as president of the Labour Youth Council in 1988, he told the then employment Minister, Phil Goff, to “take action or resign”. Charles Chauvel is probably feeling the same way today.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The supplementary question asked by the deputy leader of the Labour Party might have been a little political, but it was also very specific. It referred to an enterprise training scheme and the effect on jobs of that action. That issue was not addressed.
It would have been helpful had the Hon Bill English actually referred to the supplementary question in some way in his answer, and I invite him to do so now.
How can the Prime Minister have confidence in a Minister who claimed that the Restart package was a great success and the answer to New Zealand’s skyrocketing unemployment, when, since its introduction, around 100 people a week have signed up for it, whereas 1,300 people a week are signing up for the dole; and is that really what he thinks is the answer to unemployment?
Yes, the Prime Minister does have confidence in the Minister for Social Development and Employment. The Restart package is innovative, it is successful, and it is targeted at people who need assistance. The record of the Minister is really quite startling: we have been in recession for seven quarters now, and we have an unemployment rate that is amongst the lowest rates in the OECD. Despite the fact that Australia has not had a recession, our unemployment rate is lower than Australia’s.
Chris TremainThe Prime Minister has not seen any alternative proposals for reducing unemployment. He has seen Opposition proposals for the expansion of welfare. That, of course, will do nothing for jobs. Mr Goff’s views on expanding welfare are impractical, unfair, and unaffordable, but that is not surprising. He thinks he can keep making policy in the way that Labour did when it was in Government.
Did the Prime Minister agree with the decision of the Minister for Social Development and Employment to abandon National’s social development election promises aimed at helping sole parents into training and back into work in order to give them and their families a chance at a better life; if so, why?
Well, she has not abandoned those policy objectives, and the Prime Minister fully supports the Minister in making decisions that set priorities and fund effective programmes. That sometimes means we do not fund programmes that do not work well.
Does the Prime Minister stand by his pre-election commitment to help New Zealand’s most vulnerable people, especially those who live on Struggle Street; if so, when the Minister for Social Development and Employment says that tough decisions need to be made, why is it that the first people to suffer are those who are on Struggle Street?
Of course that is not correct. Because of confidence in the Government’s economic policies, our rate of unemployment is amongst the lowest rates in the developed world, despite the fact that we have had a long recession. That means we are doing a good job of keeping people off Struggle Street.
Has the Prime Minister seen any reports of an employment Minister dealing with rising unemployment during a recession?
Yes, he has seen a report that states: “It takes more than hot air, more than rhetoric, and more than using the backs of unemployed people to make political points. … I despair at the gamesmanship of politicians trying to get votes from the problem of unemployment”. That was said by Annette King in this House.
Carmel SepuloniHow can the Prime Minister have confidence in the Minister for Social Development and Employment when it is clear that New Zealanders are losing confidence in her—New Zealanders like Trudy, who said in response to the Minister’s performance in question time yesterday: “I feel Paula Bennett’s answer showed her running for cover and I was very disappointed in the answer she gave. It seems to me that she was painting a very rosy financial picture for beneficiaries. I defy her to show me any cases of beneficiaries who receive anywhere near that amount of”—
The member will resume her seat. Questions are not meant to be speeches. I invite the member to reflect on that. I think we have heard enough of the question. I invite the Hon Bill English to answer it.
It is great to get a question from someone who was not a Minister 20 years ago and who did not say things like “I despair at the gamesmanship of politicians trying to get votes from the problem of unemployment.” Paula Bennett is doing a great job as the Minister for Social Development and Employment. What is it about female Ministers that irritates Labour so much?
Moana MackeyHow can the Prime Minister have confidence in a Minister who is responsible for cutting the training incentive allowance; and does he agree with Christine of Gisborne, a solo mother of four who now cannot do the nursing qualification that would enable her to move off the domestic purposes benefit and into paid work, when she says: “The Government has been sitting there”—[ Interruption]
I apologise for interrupting the member. Members may not like questions, but provided they are within the Standing Orders—and I saw nothing wrong with that question so far—members are entitled to ask them. Because of the noise coming from the Government benches I invite Moana Mackey to start her supplementary question again.
How can the Prime Minister have confidence in a Minister responsible for cutting the training incentive allowance; and does he agree with Christine of Gisborne, a solo mother of four who now cannot do the nursing qualification that would enable her to move off the domestic purposes benefit and into paid work, when she says: “The Government has been sitting there telling us to upskill, get into jobs, not run up debt, to ride out the recession, and then they go and take away the assistance that some people need to enable this to happen.”?
What we have learnt from the activities of the Labour Party over the last month is that we have to be pretty careful about believing whether Christine of Gisborne even exists, and also whether she is on the domestic purposes benefit, whether she owns three investment houses, and whether all the information she has given to the Labour Party about her situation has been truthfully represented here.
Hon Darren Hughes Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am not sure whether you heard the end of the Minister’s answer, but he challenged whether a member had truthfully represented something to the House. I think that is outside the Standing Orders. He can give an answer that defends the Government’s record without having to resort to that.
Hon Rodney HideOf course the answer is within the Standing Orders. The Minister was not saying the member was lying or not telling the truth; he was querying whether all the facts had been presented—whether the matter had been truthfully represented. That is what that means, and we have had plenty of instances where the examples used by the Labour Party—
No, no. I do not want to see points of order being used to criticise another party. The member has made his point perfectly well, and I feel that on this occasion the interpretation I took was the one that the Hon Rodney Hide has just outlined. That is why I did not object to the answer. I accept that there was a robust exchange, but where questions quote someone partially identified, like that one did, one can expect that answers will be pretty varied. If members want to use that practice in asking questions, they will get answers that may not be what they want to hear.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Why did Cabinet decide to cut the Enterprising Communities scheme, given the fact, as the Prime Minister has confirmed today, that there will be 3,000 job losses?