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

 

Children in poverty cannot wait

Children in poverty cannot wait

Child Poverty Action Group says it is a tragedy for young children growing up in poverty today that the government will not take the steps needed to meet their urgent needs.

Official advice to Government from the Ministry of Social Development, available for the first time through an OIA request by Radio New Zealand, stated clearly that the government’s actions were unlikely to reduce child poverty "in the short- to medium-term", and that more investment was needed to improve family incomes.

"Recent experience with the Working for Families package has shown that it is possible to achieve significant direct reduction in poverty, but doing so requires significant additional investment."

CPAG says the government will not significantly reduce child poverty without raising the inadequate incomes of beneficiaries with children. Extending the In Work Tax Credit and other child payments to all low income children, without discrimination, is the most cost effective and immediate way to do this. The $25 benefit increase announced in the 2015 budget will help a little, but is nowhere near enough to reduce poverty for most families and does not come into effect for another nine months.

CPAG spokesperson Assoc. Professor Michael O’Brien says, "While the government has introduced some good programmes to address aspects of child poverty, tinkering around the edges will not achieve the significant reduction in child poverty we all wish to see."

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.

Michael O’Brien says, "Poverty is more damaging for young children than for any other age group. The damage done to children living in poverty now will remain with them - and us - all their lives. New Zealand is failing to meet its obligations under UNCROC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) not just to protect children’s rights but to actively promote them by ensuring they have access to good health care, education and housing and are protected from harm.

CPAG believes that the government needs to spend $1 billion per annum on fixing Working for Families, to make it much fairer and more effective in addressing child poverty.


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.