Friday, 29 October, 2004

Turner: Put basics in place for our children

New Zealand could give its children no better gift on Sunday, National Children's Day, than to make their lives safer, United Future family affairs spokeswoman, Judy Turner, said today.

"This day will count for little if we don't start delivering the basics that are required to value and protect children, and that is what United Future, as the family party, is all about," she said.

"And with the Government having picked up United Future's policy on restructuring CYFS for faster and better responses to children in crisis, then it is very possible that before we next celebrate Children's Day, that will be a reality for the children of New Zealand," Mrs Turner said.

"We have a huge way to go as a nation in truly valuing our young people.

"Even the recent revelation that our national school vision programme only tests for about 10 percent of possible problems, and the bean-counting approach to any suggestion that we fix that, shows where we really put children in this country's priorities," she said.

Mrs Turner is pushing for a health select committee inquiry into the scheme.

United Future would continue to champion the best interest of children and the families they come from, she said.

"And it will be the reality of that type of approach that will make a real difference in young lives and really give us a nation to be proud of."

ENDS

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