Turner Judy: Budget Debate 
Turner Judy: Budget Debate 
[Volume:608;Page:5919] 
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
: 
 I start by saying that United Future is extremely pleased that families got a mention in this year’s Budget and we are obviously thrilled that a chunk of that will be invested in the long-term best interests of the family through the establishment of the Families Commission. The $11 million promised for a safe and positive parenting media campaign will be a welcome inclusion in the United Nations Year of the Family in 2004. 
Beyond that we need to foster a culture in New Zealand that views parent education as an important investment. United Future looks forward to exploring with the Government ways to facilitate parent education courses for families during those seasons in family life when some help would be most appreciated. These are easily definable moments such as the birth of the first child the entry point into school and the onset of adolescence when parents are often the most open to the opportunity for some helpful tips. These definable moments also coincide with families making contact with health and education providers and so provide the ideal chance for the Government to give vital information about community resources that are geared towards helping parents. 
Reviewing the thresholds for family support is welcomed. However United Future would have preferred to see the threshold for family support take into account the inflation rates since 1998 when the current thresholds were set and we would have preferred to see a budgeted promise to have those thresholds reviewed yearly against the inflation rate as an ongoing and automatic process. Strategies for improving family income are hugely important and United Future waits in anticipation for the promised improvements signalled to be included in the 2004 Budget. 
 Getting more people into sustainable employment is a family-friendly focus. The $59 million budgeted to better support low-income parents entering full-time work is a great start. The increase from 37 hours of subsidised childcare per week to 50 hours will make a difference for parents transitioning into employment. However United Future asks for consideration to be given in the future to families of pre-school children who would like the chance to have a parent at home for those important formative years. The window of opportunity that families get when their children are in their pre-school years to invest personally in those formative years is made all the more difficult by the increasing struggle for families to establish themselves on a single income. United Future looks forward to the day when families with dependants can be targeted with tax relief through income splitting to give those families greater work-life flexibility and choice. If New Zealand families of the future are to be able to service the parents’ ongoing student debt save for their retirement and pay off a mortgage then the Government is going to have to seriously address the disposable income levels of low and middle income families. 
Finally I have to say that United Future is disappointed at the failure of the Government to give any clear signals to the thousands of kinship caregivers in our nation as to their status and level of financial support they can expect for the contribution they make. We recommend that the Government give kinship caregivers distinct recognition that includes definitive policy and guidelines for those considering their status and that those caregivers be entitled to either a benefit or a tax credit that reflects the real cost of the care they provide. We suggest that kinship caregivers be entitled to the same range of additional allowances received by foster parents and that they are automatically entitled to legal aid once their role has been investigated and established by the Department of Child Youth and Family Services. We think it is time that increasing reliance by social services on in particular elderly family members caring for their grandchildren needs to be recognised and addressed. United Future remains committed to making MMP work and looks forward to engaging with the Government on these essential family issues.