Nation’s Children are the winners, by Peter Dunne, which I have found in Friday December 2, issue of Harbour News, gives the Revenue Minister’s opinion on Child Support.

The main thrust of the article is to outline the financial efficiencies intended as a consequence of the child support amendment bill, and that is what we should expect from a Revenue Minister – financial efficiency. The article concludes with a veiled suggestion that fathers should shut up, pay up, and the state will see to it that the nations children will get the financial support they are entitled to.

If I was to draw conclusions from parallel legislation in other countries, then I would expect that the consequences of this legislation will be:

1. An increased number of men refusing to participate in society.
2. A further increase in male suicide.
3. Fathers being criminalized and jailed for failing to comply with discriminatory legislation.
4. A further decrease in our live birth rate.
5. Increasing numbers of men permanently leaving NZ.
6. An increase in gender violence.
7. An increase in child neglect cases.

It should be remembered that this is the man who took the stage at the opening of Union of Fathers, to tell us how he would make a difference. The man who told the country he would support family values, and conveniently left other more blatant anti family clauses from the amendment out of his article.

I certainly hope that the media will familiarise his Wellington Electorate with the content of both his article, and the bill he supports. They need to made aware that Mr Dunne has turned his back on Fathers and Families.

Surely the United Future Party must be questioning his credibility and his leadership.

From the United Future Website.

United Future supporting children through reform of the child support system:

• Ensure that the child support system better recognises shared parenting arrangements.
• Ensure that child support payments are made directly to DPB recipients, and that their benefit is reduced by the appropriate amount, to attach greater significance to liable parent contributions.
• Allow the state to apply for child support if the sole parent on the DPB refuses.
• Allow contributions towards overdue child support payments to be deducted from the liable parent’s pay or benefit, and do not allow them to leave the country with debt outstanding.
• Increase the minimum child support payment from the current $12.75 per week, to better reflect the costs of raising a child.
• Task the Families Commission to investigate how government policy affects step-families.

Email United Future at [email protected]