Wellington, Wednesday, 26 May 2004

Salvation Army welcomes Budget as Good News for the Poor

The Budget is shaping up to be a life-line for struggling New Zealand families, says Salvation Army Director of Social Policy Research Major Campbell Roberts.

‘Based on what we have heard so far about increases in family support, the accommodation supplement and increased access to all forms of family assistance, we are very hopeful that the budget will deliver to those most in need,’ says Major Roberts.

‘The reality is that many New Zealand families do not have enough money to meet basic needs. If this Budget puts more money in their pockets, it will mean more food, heating and clothing for children, and that can only be good for the whole of New Zealand.’

Major Roberts says that The Salvation Army is also hopeful of promised additional government assistance with housing costs, childcare costs, and the transition to paid work.

‘If the Government provides real assistance to help low income families overcome some of the practical and financial barriers they face, then we can work effectively with people to create a better future.

‘With poverty levels at higher levels than they were in 1989, a Budget that really commits itself to the poor is long overdue’, says Major Roberts. ‘We hope that this one will deliver on its promises to help low-income families move out of poverty. We look forward to reading the details.’

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>>