Sandra Goudie MP
National Party Senior Citizens Spokeswoman

15 November 2007

Minister slammed for slashing SeniorNet funding

Labour has slashed SeniorNet funding by half, jeopardising the future of the organisation and ignoring the intention of the Positive Ageing Strategy, which it claims to support, says National’s Senior Citizens spokeswoman, Sandra Goudie.

“Tertiary Education reforms mean that SeniorNet funding has fallen drastically from an expected $800,000 to just over $400,000 per annum for 2008.

“The reduction in funding is a huge disappointment and will create major difficulties for SeniorNet, an organisation with almost 17,000 members and maintained mostly by volunteers.”

Their workload amounts to around 170,000 learner hours per year, or the equivalent of over 200 full time students.

“What is worse is that the Minister of Senior Citizens, Ruth Dyson, recognised the effect it will have on SeniorNet, yet she claims her Ministry has no mechanism to help fund it.

“SeniorNet’s negotiations with the Tertiary Education Commission to obtain a better grant have fallen on deaf ears.

“Our senior citizens deserve better and their funding should be maintained.”

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