Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development): Talofa lava, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, we announced the COVID-19 income relief payment to provide support for people who have lost work since March due to the impacts of COVID-19. Like Australia, the UK, and many other countries, we can't escape the reality that there will be job losses and people's lives will be affected. The measures we have taken to protect jobs and help businesses stay afloat against the impacts of COVID-19 are significant, but, unfortunately, unemployment will rise before it improves. As with the global financial crisis and the Canterbury earthquakes, widespread redundancies were expected and temporary financial assistance was introduced to reduce the impact on those who lost their jobs. The COVID-19 income relief payment will help cushion the blow for families who have experienced an unexpected job loss due to the economic impacts of COVID-19. This payment is part of our next step to help New Zealanders respond and recover during these unprecedented times.