Will the Government’s 2015 budget focus on child poverty?

Workers support the thousands of Kiwis who have already signed a petition calling on the Government to focus on child poverty in the 2015 Budget which will be released on 21 May.

The ActionStation petition launched yesterday (Sunday 3 May) is a sign of a momentum being built around poverty in this country, CTU Secretary, Sam Huggard comments; “Addressing child poverty requires substantial and concrete commitments from Government to address the underlying causes of poverty,”

“Kids are living in poverty because their whole families are in poverty. We also know that two out of five kids living in poverty are in a household with one parent in work or self-employed and families that are existing on a benefit are certain to be in poverty,”

“Lifting incomes is the way to eliminate poverty. This requires increasing benefit levels, lifting the minimum wage, paying a living wage and promoting collective bargaining which lifts wages,”

“The Governments inaction on eliminating poverty is not just lamentable, it doesn’t make economic sense. $6 billion a year is spent on the consequences of poverty and its’ effects (high health needs, remedial education, justice costs, the list goes on). If the Government spent just $1 billion on addressing the causes of poverty this would have a hugely positive impact on our kids and their families,”

“The Government is responsible to have a better plan of action to look after our future; our kids,” Huggard said. This petition is a powerful message to the Government.

ENDS

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