12. SUE MORONEY (Labour) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
What changed between Wednesday last week when his Minister of Education refused to rule out funding cuts to Playcentre and the next day when he did rule out cuts?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) Link to this
I do not agree with the member’s assertion. Last week the Minister of Education reiterated that this Government values parent-led services like Playcentre. The Government has put $1.4 billion into early childhood education, which is the most any Government has ever spent on early childhood education. It has expanded the 20 free hours policy to include Playcentre. It has made sure that the regulations that guide early childhood services are amended, and playcentres are getting over $14 million in funding this year.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It was a very direct question—and had been properly authenticated with you, Mr Speaker, through your office—as to whether the Minister had to refuse to rule out cuts. My question to you is whether the Prime Minister should answer the question about what had changed between when that happened in the House on Wednesday, and Thursday when he did rule out cuts.
Mr SPEAKERI think the member made the pertinent point at the last moment—that is, the question asked what changed between Wednesday last week, etc. The Prime Minister said that nothing changed. That is his answer to that question. He then went on to explain why he has that view, but that was an answer. The question asked what changed and the Prime Minister said that nothing changed.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. During the question that was asked in the House on Wednesday last week, I sought your interpretation of the Minister’s answer, and your interpretation was that she was, in fact, refusing to rule out funding cuts to Playcentre.
The relevant issue, though, is that the question asked what changed. That is what the question actually asked. The rest of the question identifies what that change is in relation to, and the Prime Minister in his wisdom has argued that nothing changed. I cannot dispute the Prime Minister’s answer in that regard.
Why did it take him so long to rule out proposed funding cuts for Playcentre, given that the Labour leader, Phil Goff, called on the Government to rule them out as early as 19 July?
This will come as a shock to the member, but I do not take my riding instructions from Phil Goff. Secondly, the member asked an interesting question: “What changed between Wednesday and Thursday?”. I take just a moment to read out what the Minister said on Wednesday: “while the taskforce recommended a change in the funding system, we have no intention of doing anything that will disadvantage the parent-led sector.” That was said on Wednesday last week.
Will he now rule out funding cuts proposed by the task force to the 20 free hours policy for early childhood education, which will cost thousands of families an extra $50 per child per week if implemented? Will he rule that out?
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question that I asked was specific: whether he will rule out funding cuts proposed by the task force to the 20 free hours policy for early childhood education. I did not hear an answer as to whether he was ruling out the funding cuts proposed by the task force to the 20 free hours policy for early childhood education.
The Prime Minister’s answer was that the Government would be maintaining the 20 hours. The member does have a further supplementary question to pursue that particular issue.