Parliament has passed a bill intended to protect vulnerable children though it was opposed by the Greens who said it did not do enough.
The third reading of the Vulnerable Children Bill divided into three parts was completed by 105 to 10 with the Greens and Mana opposed.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said too many children were abused and neglected even after millions of dollars had been spent to try and solve the problem.
The bill was a small part of the Govt’s wider programme, but simply passing laws would not protect vulnerable children. Amongst other things the bill would mean parents who neglected children would have to prove they were capable of raising a child in the future.
Labour’s Sue Moroney said Labour would support the bill which had improved in committee with the removal of the more problematic parts of the legislation.
The Green Party opposed the bill with Jan Logie saying the Government was not doing enough to help vulnerable children especially those who lived in poverty. The main thing the bill did was create checks on those who worked with children when there was no evidence this would make any difference
MPs began debating the third reading of the Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill, debate was interrupted when the House rose at 6pm.
Earlier the Taxation (Annual Rates, Employee Allowances, and Remedial Matters) Bill completed its third reading by 97 to 22 with the Greens, NZ First, Mana and Brendan Horan opposed.
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