We only have 1 month left to get submissions in for this Bill. Submissions close 1 November.

I am working on coming up with a link that we can all use to help with putting in our submissions due 1 November: https://hef.org.nz/beneficiaries/14227-2/. I have three Lawyers helping me come up with the Key points – any suggestions from others welcomed as well – please include in comments below or email me barbara@hef.org.nz.

I have also started to write up a brochure that can be handed out at support group meetings etc. It would be really good to have a short slogan to go in the link and on the brochure — any ideas please put them below in the comments. Thanks

I asked one of the lawyers working on this for me about asking for exemptions if this Bill goes through.

This is what the lawyer wrote to me:

I think it would not be productive at this point to ask for an exemption option. It’s not the best-case scenario and should be regarded as a last resort if any. You certainly are not at the point of any last resort yet! Encourage your people to look at the positives:1. Bills rarely pass into law without amendment–sometimes substantial amendment.
2. This is not a rush job. I’ve known bills to be rushed through Parliaments here in Australia before a resistance can be organised. That’s not happening here. If you mobilise enough protest, you can have this bill stopped dead in its tracks.
3. This is a very new, very provocative bill that seems to have sincerely annoyed most of the population of New Zealand, from the socialist progressives who don’t believe it goes far enough or don’t want benefit cuts, to people who see it as the tyrannical imposition it is. It’s unpopular with everyone, including the conservative voter base.It is not too late to ask for an exemption option after the bill passes into law, but if your parliamentary system is anything like ours it would require a new bill to amend the Act. Nevertheless extending exemptions for ECE to home educating families on the same terms as exemptions for schooling is a minor change that should not attract too much resistance, especially if the Bill comes to be seen as a blunder.The moment home educators say the word “exemptions” we’ve surrendered the battle. What happens when you sell your car and a prospective buyer asks what’s the lowest you’ll go? If you tell him, he’ll immediately offer you $100 below that price and you will definitely never get him above that price.

To me this bill sounds outrageous and many people sound outraged about it. There is no need to compromise. At a later stage it may be politic to point out how ridiculous it is to be able to get an exemption from schooling, but not from ECE–without arguing that we should be given exemptions for ECE. Just mention that it’s ridiculous. They’ll probably come back with, “Well, we can give you exemptions from ECE; no problem.” And then you can try to beat them down, because you haven’t compromised your position by backflipping on what you’re prepared to accept.

Sorry this email is so long–like Mark Twain said, I didn’t have time to make it shorter. I’d encourage your Kiwi home educators not to give in, but to speak up boldly for ALL the liberties they already have.

Some of the main links

Update 5/10/12: Make a submission: Reject compulsory Early Education for 3 year olds

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Click on links:

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill 2012 — Bills Digests

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

New Zealand Public Service Association Te P?kenga Here Tikanga Mahi
Submission to the Welfare Working Group on
‘Reducing Long-Term Benefit Dependency: The Options’

Look at points 6

Supporting vulnerable children

Delivering better publ?c serv?ces SUPPORTING VULNERABLE CHILDREN Result action plan

Paper A Welfare Reform: Overview of package pdf

Future Focus overview

Early Childhood Education (ECE) Social Obligations

Welfare Reform: July 2013 changes

Hansard for Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill — First Reading

A party vote was called for on the question, That the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.

Welfare Reform: October 2012 changes

 Free Early Childhood Education

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Related Links:

• Comment on Q+A: Social Development Minister Paula Bennett
• Human Rights in New Zealand Today: The right to education
• Raymond S. Moore on Early Childhood Centres
• Should preschool be compulsory?
• TVNZ One this morning Q&A with Paula Bennett
• Maxim Institute: What is best for children?
• HUGE Concerns over the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill
• Letter from Paula Bennett concerning beneficaries and home education
• Toby Manhire on Benefit-slaying Nats starting to look plain nasty
• Linking welfare to preschool attendance a world first
• New Update on: How will the new Social obligations which will be required of all beneficiary parents effect home schoolers?
• How will the new Social obligations which will be required of all beneficiary parents effect home schoolers?

Update 5/10/12: Make a submission: Reject compulsory Early Education for 3 year olds

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