Friday, 14 May 2004

International Day of the Family

United Future leader Peter Dunne today urged the Government to celebrate May 15, the International Day of the Family, in a positive way by committing itself to more of United Future’s family-friendly policies.

“As part of our confidence and supply agreement with the Government, we successfully gained the establishment of the Families Commission, due to begin work on July 1,” he said.

“This Commission will prove invaluable in the years to come by providing the governments of the day with coherent, well-researched policies that will promote and foster the well-being of New Zealand families, the very cornerstone of our society.

“But there is much more the government can do to help the family. These include income-splitting for families for tax purposes; taking GST off local body rates; providing tax rebates for community volunteers; and reducing the loan burden on our tertiary students and their families.

“Small businesses provide the majority of jobs for New Zealand families, so the government can help by removing the obstacles to profitable business by cutting compliance costs; lowering taxes; revising the Resource Management Act; and keeping the labour market flexible.”

Mr Dunne also called on the Government to stop attacking fundamental social institutions like marriage and to withdraw the Civil Unions Bill “for which there is no public demand.”

ENDS

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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>>