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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Census 2013

Libz Prepare To Incinerate Census Papers

Libertarianz Party leader Richard McGrath today urged anyone who objects to the coercive nature of the five-yearly census to destroy their papers.

"Members of my party up and down New Zealand will be burning, shredding, defacing or ignoring the documents sent out by Statistics NZ, as would be their undisputed right in a free country."

"If the Bill of Rights Act 1990 had any teeth, it would protect those who don't wish to complete their census forms from police harrassment and prosecution. Article 14 of the act states: 'Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.' This includes the right to remain silent and to refrain from writing."

"A lot of New Zealanders are concerned about where the information in these forms will end up, and whether it is necessary to collect the information in the first place."

"And many are worried that the government is paying lip service to its role as the defender of basic individual rights such as free speech and expression. This will be a test as to whether the Bill of Rights offers real protection or is a sham."

For more information, see libertarianz.org.nz

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>