Media Release
11 March 2004

NZ First Calls For Action Over Child Abuse

“The dangerously high levels of reported and undiagnosed child abuse and neglect is an outrageous and shameful state of affairs,” said Bill Gudgeon, New Zealand First social services spokesperson.

“The so called umbrella of the welfare state has been mislaid or broken for the 6000 children awaiting allocation in the failing Child Youth and Family Department. All the excuses and hand wringing is of no comfort to small children who silently await a lifeline.

Mr Gudgeon is calling upon the Prime Minister to step in and personally oversee the much-needed change for the troubled department.

“Our children have an absolute right to better treatment. If adults had a 6000 waiting list for potentially life threatening situations the machinery of government would act faster. Its time to take better care of New Zealand children,” said Mr Gudgeon.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>