11. ANNE TOLLEY (National—East Coast) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
Is he satisfied with the effectiveness of the Family Violence Intervention Programme; if not, why not?
Is the Minister aware that his ministry funded a Family Violence Intervention Programme to train Work and Income staff to address “immediate safety concerns and provide crisis support contact numbers, including New Zealand Police”, and does he not realise that paying $2.3 million for a course to teach Work and Income staff to hand out phone numbers is a waste of taxpayers’ money?
H V Ross Robertson Link to this
Can the Minister tell the House what the value is of the Family Violence Intervention Programme?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
The Family Violence Intervention Programme is one of a number of initiatives that this Government has undertaken to identify, reduce, and, hopefully, significantly prevent family violence. This initiative will contribute to the reduction of family violence by upskilling Work and Income staff through training in the provision of information about family violence so that they are better able to identify clients they work with for whom family violence is an issue. It is also about those staff connecting people with appropriate information on services. When a client does disclose family violence, Work and Income case managers work with the client to address his or her immediate safety concerns and provide crisis support contact numbers, including the New Zealand Police.
Dr Pita SharplesTenā koe. Tēnā tātou katoa. Does the Minister believe in He Pūtahitanga Hōu, the Labour Party’s vision for Māori development, which the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, confirmed she had an absolute commitment to; if so, does he agree that “by Māori, for Māori” services will meet the needs of Māori in the area of family violence; if not, why not?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I am very pleased to confirm that generally I find community-based solutions the most effective.
Why does the Minister support paying $2.3 million for an extravagant course in passing out phone numbers, and is this not yet more evidence of Labour’s politically correct waste of taxpayers’ money?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I think it is unfortunate that the member continues to trivialise really important initiatives in this area. She might not be aware, for example, of over $35 million in this year’s Budget alone, $11.5 million over 4 years for a community prevention campaign around family violence, $9 million over 4 years—[ Interruption]; well, I have to comment that the degree of verbal violence being displayed by the Opposition does tell us where their heads are—committed to increased funding for family violence prevention, and $14.8 million over a further 4 years to continue the excellent strategies around the SKIP programme.
Hon Steve Maharey Link to this
Can the Minister confirm that the training for the large number of front-line staff in Work and Income began because staff found it difficult to deal with the large number of women who are assaulted and present themselves through the benefit system? They are therefore able to be recognised and helped. We are trying to ensure that women are placed in safe environments when they are in a benefit situation.
Madam SPEAKERIt was very difficult to hear the Minister’s last answer, and I did not intervene. But I will, and members will leave the Chamber unless we can hear the response.
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I can confirm that that is the situation, and we believe that it is really important to deal with this matter sensitively and to support people to make sensible decisions.
Judith CollinsDoes he agree that spending $2.3 million to train Work and Income staff, not in counselling services but essentially on how to hand out crisis phone numbers, is totally excessive when that money could be much better spent by Women’s Refuge, which actually does something for women?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
No, the member will be aware of the extensive funding this Government directs towards Women’s Refuge, and I do find it sad that that member trivialises our efforts in this regard. [ Interruption]
Is the Minister aware that there are currently 275 practitioners registered and licensed through the hapū—
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. The Hon Trevor Mallard made an extremely offensive comment to me, and I would like him to withdraw and apologise.
Hon Trevor Mallard
Hon Pete HodgsonI raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. The Hon Pete Hodgson has just gone on to say that the comment was true. I would like him to be asked to withdraw and apologise. I take offence.
Will the member please be seated. Could members please just stop the sideshow that is going on in the House, otherwise two members will be leaving the Chamber if they open their mouths again before the end of question time.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. The Hon Trevor Mallard has yet again made an offensive comment. It is a matter on which, as you are aware, Madam Speaker, I have written a letter to complain to you, as the Speaker of the House, as a matter of privilege. I ask you to ask Trevor Mallard to withdraw and apologise again.
Hon Dr Michael Cullen Link to this
What the member said—and I have no idea whether it is true—was: “But the assailant was convicted.” One cannot take personal offence in this House about a comment made about somebody else.
Hon Bill EnglishTrevor Mallard interrupted in the middle of our colleague’s question. In every other single case you have thrown members out of the House for that offence.
No, that is not true. The member will be aware that the rules have changed. Members on his side of the House frequently call out, also. It is a question of whether interjections are permitted. They are permitted. It is the barracking so that members cannot be heard. I want to deal with this point of order. The member has again taken offence. Given that she has taken offence, would the member withdraw and apologise so that we can move forward.
Gordon CopelandI raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. You have correctly ruled that interjections are allowed during questions, but I understand that interjections are to be directed to the person asking the question or, in the case of the Minister, the person answering the question. What we had was an exchange between a member of the National Party on the one hand and a Labour member on the other hand, actually having a debate about who knows what, whilst Pita Sharples was asking his question. That is not an interjection; that is just disorderly behaviour. I believe that if you allow it to continue, we will continue to see the standard of conduct in this House go downhill.
I agree with the member. That is why I said that if either of those members opens his mouth again, unless it is to ask or answer a legitimate question, the member will be out of the House.
Is the Minister aware that there are currently 275 practitioners registered and licensed through hapū and iwi as Mauri Ora practitioners; if so, what assurances can he give to these 275 practitioners that their skills in the area of domestic violence will not be neglected and ignored, as the contract negotiations conducted with the Ministry of Social Development have been?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I am prepared to repeat my assurance to the member that effective programmes in this area will be supported by the Ministry of Social Development.
Were Work and Income staff previously handing out crisis helpline numbers to those clients who disclosed family violence; if they were not, why were they not; and, if they were, why is a $2 million programme now required?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
The member will be only too aware that the workload of front-line Work and Income staff has reduced massively because of our success in moving people into employment. When a National Government was last in power, 160,000 people were unemployed in this country. Now there are fewer than 40,000. [ Interruption] If the member would listen, I will answer the question.
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
Because of that capacity, Work and Income staff now have the ability to provide a much more extensive service to their clients, including this work, for which they have been specifically trained.
Is the Minister aware that when opening his Government’s family violence intervention wallet, the overwhelming image is of Māori and Pacific New Zealanders as the victims of family violence, and is that a fair reflection on the vast majority of Māori and Pacific New Zealanders who do not beat their wives and who do not beat their children?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
The member might not be aware that there are 39 of these very valuable resources. I must say that the family violence practitioners who use them, value them, and distribute them do not share that member’s reservations about the value of the resource.