Turner: Only one party looking after families
One can only hope that the fact that the Families Commission Bill returns to Parliament untouched on the very same day a
report is released on CYFS involvement with a family in which two little girls were murdered, would give National, ACT
and NZ First politicians pause for thought, United Future's Judy Turner said today.
"These parties will play politics with families at their peril," Mrs Turner, United Future's family affairs spokeswoman.
said today, the day that a Social Services Select Committee report on the bill should have been tabled in Parliament.
"And there is no report simply because National, ACT and NZ First really couldn't care less about the family - and
they've proven it with a 'block, block, block' mentality in the select committee process.
"One would hope that they could see, on this day of all days, the need for families to be supported and addressed in a
manner that is simply not happening today. That is what the Families Commission will provide.
"These parties have proven rat cunning enough to all suddenly sprout family affairs spokespeople when they realised
that, hey, people are prepared to vote on what is good for the family, but they simply can't rise above venal partisan
politics to actually do something about it.
"Doubtless they will bluster away, but their lack of integrity is now there for all to see. Their bloody-mindedness has
shown itself in an arrogant disregard for the many submitters to the Social Services Select Committee, both those for
and those against the bill, whose efforts have been ignored," Mrs Turner said.
"Three things are certain: First, the Families Commission will come into being and it will fight the corner and support
all manner of New Zealand families, second, National ACT and NZ First will continue to pay lip service to the family,
and third, New Zealand families will work out very quickly which parties they can trust."