Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Alliance Party backs Sue Bradford's bill

Alliance Party media release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday 30 March 2007

Alliance Party backs Sue Bradford's bill to stop violence against children

The Alliance Party supports Sue Bradford’s bill to repeal section 59 of the Crimes Act and make it illegal to hit children.

Alliance Social Services spokesperson Gail Marmont says promoting positive parenting is the key to reducing child abuse and family violence.

"Rewarding good behaviour has long been proven to be a far more effective way of teaching children the skills they need to keep themselves safe and be good citizens."

She says many parents successfully raise their children without resorting to violence and there are good programmes available to teach parents the skills they need to bring up their children in a violence free household.

"There is a heap of misinformation being spread about this bill."

She says that unlike the right wing fundamentalists and conservatives who are against reform, the Alliance has real policies to support families, based around practical support such as parental education, a shorter working week with no loss of pay, and affordable housing.

Ms Marmont says the enormous pressures on families leading to violence are often caused by the free market economic and social system we live in.

She says long working hours and shift work, insecure jobs, family debt, skyrocketing house prices and the "24 hour, 7 day" economy are all major disruptive influences on the New Zealand family of today.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Ms Marmont says Sue Bradford’s bill makes it clear to everyone that hitting children is as unacceptable as hitting adults.

She says it was not much more than century ago that it was legal for a man to beat his wife, which now seemed barbaric.

"Repealing section 59 would stop child beaters getting away on technicalities as is happening now and would make a strong statement that we are serious about stopping family violence."

She says that one voice is being ignored in the current debate, that of the many children living in dangerous and violent households in New Zealand right at this very moment.

Ms Marmont says one of the most disturbing things about the current debate is that MPs like Sue Bradford and Katherine Rich have been threatened for their stand.

ENDS


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.