Chidren need Minsters's action not talk

The Green Party today welcomed Minister Bennett’s suggestion of a national conversation on children’s issues, but expressed serious scepticism that the Government was at all interested in action to genuinely better “value, nurture and protect children”.

"The Green Party welcomes moves to hold a national conversation about how to put children at the centre of all economic, environmental and social policy development. But this Government has a history of anti-women and anti-child economic and social reforms that have put children at greater risk,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said.

Mrs Turei was responding to the Government’s announcement of a Green Paper on children’s issues intended to kick off a national conversation on how we value, nurture and protect children.

“Action not talk is needed,” said Mrs Turei.

"Children are the first to suffer when the economy shrinks, social policy hardens and environmental standards fall.

“Minister Bennett might reflect on the effect on children of many recent Government initiatives such as: work testing sole parents when their child is 6 years old, cutting funding to early childhood education,
cutting access to services like the Child Advocates for Child Witnesses programme, increasing GST hurting the lowest income families, and widening the gap between rich and poor with tax cuts.

“Perhaps as a step in the right direction, Minister Bennett could ditch the Welfare Working Group report which, if developed into Government policy, would put women and their children at much greater risk of serious poverty and hardship.”

Mrs Turei said that reducing the gap between rich and poor would ensure our children have the essentials so that they have a chance to take up opportunities.

"We need Government policies that lead to more equality. The solutions are there for the taking, such as, extending Working for Families support to all children, increasing the state housing stock so children are properly housed, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

“This Government is squeezing low income families and, as a result, children are suffering from restricted access to early childhood education, from increasing poverty, and from third world diseases like rheumatic fever.

“Minister Bennett can talk all she wants but New Zealand children need action from her, not more words,” said Mrs Turei.