Thursday, 4 August 2005

Turner welcomes call for parent education

United Future deputy leader Judy Turner today welcomed the Families Commission's call for parenting education for all New Zealanders.

"When we look at the abuse and neglect at one end of the scale, right through to good parents who are open to ways of being better parents, then parenting education can only be a very worthwhile builder of a better New Zealand," Mrs Turner said.

"No one is born with parenting skills; we all have to learn them somewhere, so Commissioner Rajen Prasad is absolutely correct in saying we need to 'normalise' the whole idea of parent education.

"United Future has consistently pushed parenting programmes as of real benefit to New Zealand families, It will certainly benefit a generation of children who are brought up by caring, aware, insightful and informed parents," she said. "Then look at the kind of New Zealand we will have."

Meanwhile, Mrs Turner called upon National's Judith Collins to get her facts right before claiming budget overspending by the Families Commission.

"The commission spent less in the first year of its three-year budget allocation of $28 million so it can spend more in the second year and still be within budget," she said.

"Mrs Collins really needs to take a serious look at her approach to the commission. Her constant and often inaccurate statements are becoming a pattern that moves well beyond reasonable criticism."

"Perhaps she would like to break the mould and see something positive about the commission's call for parent education," Mrs Turner said.

ENDS

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