The Public
Service Association (PSA) says John Key’s suggestion that
care for vulnerable children could be contracted out to
private, for profit, corporations is dangerous and
unacceptable.
Richard Wagstaff, PSA National Secretary,
said "Child, Youth and Family (CYF) has been systemically
underfunded and overworked for years, so to say the solution
is privatisation is offensive,"
"Serco have shown that
they can’t run a prison without putting staff and
prisoners at risk, so why would we entrust them and other
similar companies with our most vulnerable children?
"John
Key should spend a day in a social workers shoes, and then
he’ll see the immense passion and skill that they bring to
their work.
"Proper funding for the services to keep our
children safe is a must.
"Does John Key not think our kids
are worth it? Contracting out to save money puts them at
greater risk," said Richard
Wagstaff.
If you're using Scoop for work, your organisation needs to pay a small license fee with Scoop Pro. We think that's fair, because your organisation is benefiting from using our news resources. In return, we'll also give your team access to pro news tools and keep Scoop free for personal use, because public access to news is important!
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn. Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik... More
Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More
Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More
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
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