Use the Budget surplus to fund a Universal Child Benefit
Green MP Sue Bradford is asking why child poverty persists in New Zealand while the Prime Minister is proudly trumpeting
the health of the economy and the Finance Minister is sitting atop a huge Budget surplus.
The Child Poverty Action Group has this weekend released ‘Cut Price Kids: Does the 2004 Working for Families Budget work
for Children?’, a substantial piece of research by Dr Susan St John and Dr David Craig. It argues that the Government’s
‘Working for Families’ Budget package entrenches an underclass because it ‘leaves around 175,000 of the country’s
poorest children with very little help at all’.
“Helen Clark can tell her party conference that the economy is Labour’s election winner, but this new report confirms
that their flagship social justice policy has failed to ensure that the healthy indicators and bulging Government
coffers are really benefiting the most marginalised families,” said Ms Bradford, the Green Party’s Children’s Affairs
and Social Services Spokesperson.
“Frankly it is immoral that child poverty persists in a country with a fat Budget surplus.
“A return to a Universal Child Benefit, something Labour blocked when they voted down my Private Member’s Bill earlier
this year, is essential and with a huge Budget surplus the Government has the funds to deliver it. Specifically,
allowing parents to once again capitalise such a benefit so they can get a deposit together on their own home would give
many families the real lift they need.
“CPAG has echoed the Green view that the Government’s efforts over-emphasise paid work as a way out of poverty. The
current policy mix punishes the children of beneficiaries for the ‘sins’ of their parents. While it is heartening that
unemployment is falling, low wages, casual jobs and the fact that many families are still dependent on benefits show
that jobs on their own don’t solve the problem of child poverty.
“The Government likes to pretend that its policies are addressing the entrenched and ghettoised family poverty that
exists in places like South and West Auckland, Northland and the East Coast - they aren’t. ‘Cut Price Kids’ confirms
that Working for Families does nowhere near enough for the poorest families in New Zealand as they continue to pay the
price of years of Labour and National policies that deliberately caused structural unemployment and poverty.
“The Green Party will continue to push hard on child poverty during and beyond next year’s election campaign,” said Ms
Bradford.