Judith Collins MP - National Party Families Spokeswoman

08 April 2005

Rich irony in PM’s family friendly photo op

National MP Judith Collins regrets that she will be unable to attend the launch tomorrow of a Families Commission survey because she’s “too busy being a parent”.

“I am pleased that the Families Commission has found an opportunity to give the Prime Minister a friendly photo opportunity. It is just a pity they’ve chosen to launch the programme on the day most parents, including myself, are tied up with their children’s Saturday sport.

“It’s just as John Tamihere said this week and goes to show how out of touch Helen Clark and Labour are when it comes to family issues.

Commenting on the launch of the ‘What Makes Your Family Tick survey’ Ms Collins says, “National believes the families of New Zealand want action, not more reports from Labour-appointed bureaucrats.

“Between July and December last year the Families Commission spent nearly $13,000 accommodating staff. It spent more than $36,000 on travel over the same period. It has a total budget of around $30 million.

“The Commission is spending millions of taxpayer dollars, and so far there is very little to show for it.

“Labour isn’t even doing the basics. Only a third of liable parents believed to be living in Australia are being chased for payments, unpaid child support has ballooned to nearly a billion dollars and more and more children are being placed in CYF care.

“Tomorrow’s thinly-veiled PR stunt is unlikely to convince the overtaxed and over stressed families of New Zealand that further social engineering is the answer,” says Ms Collins.

ENDS

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