Phil Goff Pwnd By John Key

• Report rights infringement
• published: 22 Jul 2009
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Hon JOHN KEY: A family member of Mr Burgess made contact with my office and I asked the Minister for Social Development and Employment to respond. Officials in the Ministers office asked the family member for Mr Burgess details so they could see what assistance he might be entitled to. The family member did not supply any of the details needed, including Mr Burgess name, so it was impossible to look into the situation. Following this mornings media coverage, Work and Income has been able to identify and make contact with Mr Burgess to receive all of the facts. I encourage him to sit down with Work and Income and have a full assessment of his individual circumstances, and I urge Mr Goff to make sure he understands all the facts when he starts dealing with a situation of an individual constituent. Mr SPEAKER: I now ask members to show a little courtesy to the Leader of the Opposition, whom I have called. Hon Phil Goff: Why did the Prime Minister answer in the House yesterday that a person who has been made redundant and who has a spouse earning $26,000 a year is eligible for financial support for job search or retraining when he or she is not? Hon JOHN KEY: Because it is correct. Hon Phil Goff: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I did not hear the Prime Ministers answer; could he please repeat it? Hon JOHN KEY: Because it is correct. Mr SPEAKER: I thank the honourable Prime Minister. Hon Phil Goff: Why was it possible, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, to legislate for tax cuts last December that would have given people on high incomes, including the Prime Minister, hundreds of dollars a week in tax cuts, but it is not possible to provide short-term transitional support for job search or retraining for people who are suffering genuine hardship through no fault of their own, who have been taxpayers all their lives? Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly, because it was a much better idea than giving welfare to millionaires, as Phil Goff was suggesting on Monday—[Interruption]—I am in no rush. Secondly, we need to understand what happened here. The National Party, when in Opposition, put up a proposal to provide transitional support to those most in need in this country. It is called the ReStart package, and we did it on top of the $300 million that is available for hardship assistance, the $150 million that is available for childcare assistance, and the billion dollars that is available for accommodation supplements. We are doing what we can to help those most vulnerable in the community.