PC Report Side-Steps The Real Issues

Wednesday 1 Sep 2004

Dr Muriel Newman Press Releases -- Social Welfare

The revelation in the Human Rights Commission's newly released report, that more and more children's lives are being ruined in New Zealand on a daily basis, can be directly attributed to the Labour Government's politically correct social policies, ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader and Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman said today.

"In its report, `Human Rights in New Zealand Today', the Commission takes the Government's politically correct agenda to new heights of absurdity," Dr Newman said.

"By identifying the problems of increasing child abuse and poverty, but failing to lay the blame where it belongs - at the feet of Labour's damaging social policy - the Commission is perpetrating a massive deception.

"If the Commission were truly serious about protecting children's rights, family breakdown and long-term welfare dependency would have been identified as significant risk factors for children. It would have recommended that policy changes in these areas are necessary if the situation is to be turned around.

"Labour is doing nothing to combat the rising incidence of sole-parenthood, which researchers have acknowledged as a key factor in negative outcomes for children. By flaunting international trends and letting DPB mothers remain on welfare until their youngest child is 18, Labour is condoning the resulting rise in abuse and other damage to children.

"The sooner we have a Government that will call a spade a spade, and admit that long-term welfare is a key factor in New Zealand's poor record of protecting and nurturing children, the better.

"And the sooner we have welfare policies based on the indisputable fact that the only effective way to help families with children out of hardship is through work, then the sooner we will have a society that truly cares for its children," Dr Newman said.

ENDS

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