7. JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) Link to this
to the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
Does she agree that the protection of children must remain our greatest priority as a society and the State has a critical role in investing in communities to help them to ensure the health and well-being of their own?
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
Yes, I agree with the statement that I made to the House in 2007 when I was speaking as the Māori Party co-leader. However, I must also inform the House that the important part of the statement, which the member has inadvertently left out, is “For ultimately it is the whānau, hapū, and iwi; it is āinga; and it is family that hold the key to the successful outcomes …”.
Was she aware that cutting the family violence education fund has led to a total withdrawal of funding for the Girls’ Self Defence Project?
Hon TARIANA TURIA Link to this
That is not correct. In fact, $2.8 million has been left for those organisations to apply for under the innovations fund.
Is she aware that her ministry has sent a letter to the Girls’ Self Defence Project telling them that their entire $377,000 budget has been cut, and their project, which over the past 15 years has taught self-defence to 77,000 vulnerable girls and increased the rate of sexual abuse disclosure, will no longer exist?
Hon TARIANA TURIA Link to this
As I said in my previous answer, they are able to apply for the $2.8 million that is being put into that pool.
Will she reconsider her funding cut in light of strong protest by school principals, one of whom noted: “Each time it has been delivered, the girls’ self-defence programme has given at least one of the girls the courage to speak out about an inappropriate and, in a number of instances, unlawful act that involves them. I truly believe that if a programme like this is cut, there will be girls who don’t find the confidence to speak out about abuse that they are having to endure.”?
Hon TARIANA TURIA Link to this
I repeat that the funding cut is not to the degree that that member is implying in the House. In fact, there is $2.8 million in an innovations fund that they can apply for.
Carol BeaumontDoes she believe that a programme costing $50 per participant that gives girls greater skills to defend themselves from harm and has enabled many girls to speak out about inappropriate and unlawful acts is a cost-effective use of taxpayer money?
Hon TARIANA TURIA Link to this
I do agree with that, and they are able to continue to apply under the innovations fund that has been put in place.
Rahui KateneDoes she believe that the announcements she made on 1 April 2011 regarding family violence will strengthen the well-being of communities?
Hon TARIANA TURIA Link to this
We have made significant investments over the past 4 years in activities creating social change around attitudes and behaviours towards family violence. This has resulted in people being more willing to report and address family violence issues, which has increased demand for the services. We now know there is a need to make sure that adequate, good-quality service responses are available, particularly in communities of greatest need, to get families safe, restore family well-being, and provide ongoing support to prevent violence from reoccurring.
Does the Minister consider a course where over 30 percent of the participants are Māori, and evaluation results showing over 90 percent of the girls felt stronger, more confident, found new ways to deal with unsafe situations, and felt they can talk to safe people to be a programme that works and is therefore a priority?
Hon TARIANA TURIA Link to this
As I said, we have had 4 years of raising awareness in communities amongst all groupings, and now we want to see money going to front-line services where it can make a difference, because there has not been a decrease in family violence, despite all of the awareness-raising.
Does the Minister accept that as 53 percent of women using Rape Crisis services report having been sexually abused under the age of 12, a programme focusing on girls is a useful, preventive measure enabling girls to avoid, or report, such sexual abuse?
Hon TARIANA TURIA Link to this
Any family violence of any nature is not acceptable to any member. We have people who are dying each year as a result of family violence, and we want to address that.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It was a simple question and I do not believe that it was answered. I asked the Minister to convey whether she accepted that given the number of women presenting to Rape Crisis as having been sexually abused under the age of 12, was a programme focusing on girls a useful preventive measure in that circumstance. I do not believe that it was answered.
Mr SPEAKERThe member will recollect that in trying to repeat her question she had trouble with the introductory words. The reason why she had trouble with the introductory words is that they sought an opinion. They asked whether the Minister agreed with something. When members ask a Minister whether they agree, there is no particular answer to that. The Minister expressed her view around that issue, and that is the difficulty with that kind of question. Where an opinion is sought, it is very difficult for the Speaker to ask Ministers to be more precise on that.
Can the Minister tell the House whether she believes that the Girls’ Self Defence Project will be successful in applying for the family-centred services fund, when it explicitly states that that fund will focus on families rather than front-line services delivered through schools?
Hon TARIANA TURIA Link to this
The question is hypothetical. I am not responsible for who gets funding from the ministry.