Single Parents Singled Out

“Another freedom has been lost this week,” says Conservative Party Leader Colin Craig, “as the National Government have voted to dictate to beneficiary parents how their pre-school children will be educated.”

“The Social Security Amendment Bill appears to have, as an underlying assumption, that beneficiary parents are somehow unable to make the best choices for their children. This simply isn’t true; many of these parents are doing a great job in sometimes very difficult circumstances. They don’t need a bossy government dictating their choices,” he says.

“The focus of government should be supporting good parents’ freedom of choice, instead of making the choice for them.”

“There has been a continual failure to recognise the value of the contribution mothers (and sometimes fathers) make when they commit to raising children at home during the pre-school years. As the cost of pre-school care escalates (another 461 million 2011/12), moves that will directly result in further cost increases need to be questioned.”

The Conservative Party believes there should be a level playing field. “Parents should have equal support in their choice to put children into day care or to provide equivalent care at home,” says Mr Craig.

“It’s important parents don’t lose the right to choose,” he says.

“The government is naïve if it thinks this move will reduce costs because these parents will go out and find a job. The reality is that with unemployment at nearly 7%, and underemployment at around 10%, this move is costing taxpayers more.”

“We must also acknowledge that research shows greater parental involvement in preschool years leads to better outcomes for children. We must start thinking long term.”

“A National Government, who in years past would have accused Labour of running a nanny state, now well and truly wears that title,” he says.

ENDS

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