September 2006
Repeal section 59 bill - Beware the polls!
Today Family Integrity pulled its website poll on whether parents should be able to use reasonable force in disciplining
their children because too many pro-repealers were voting No!
“It was a naive decision to run such an unscientific poll in the first place,” said Murray Edridge, Chief Executive of
Barnardos New Zealand today. “I guess they assumed that only like-minded people would even bother to visit their
website. No doubt they planned on using a poll result, favourable to their cause, in their political lobbying campaign.
Well, it hasn’t worked out like that.”
“Yes, we certainly did encourage supporters of repeal to go to the website and cast their vote. As a result, the
pro-repeal vote has been steadily climbing to well over 40 percent and would have reached 50 percent if Family Integrity
had not withdrawn the poll.”
“Apart from the naïveté of it all, there is an important point which I hope commentators and politicians will take on
board as the Parliamentary Select Committee considers Sue Bradford’s Bill,” continued Murray Edridge. “Polls, especially
such crude ones as this, are no way of determining an important policy issue.”
“I do hope that when the Bill is reported back to the House for debate and vote it will be given constructive and
thoughtful consideration based upon the principles of human rights, good parenting and effective law-making,” he
concluded.
ENDS