Social Security Bill Coerces Parents, Removes Freedom

http://community.scoop.co.nz/2012/10/social-security-bill-coerces-parents-removes-freedom/

Tuesday, 9 October 2012, 9:59 am
Press Release: Home Education Foundation

Social Security Bill Coerces Parents, Removes Freedom
The Home Education Foundation (HEF) of New Zealand is calling on politicians to reject the coercive new Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill. The Bill, sponsored by Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett, passed the First Reading and has been sent to a Government Select Committee.

HEF National Director Barbara Smith says, “I, along with many other Kiwis, have huge concerns about this bill.” If the Bill passes, “social obligations” will compel beneficiaries to send children aged 3-5 to an approved Early Childhood Education provider for at least 15 hours per week, ensure that their children attend school from age 5/6, register their children with a general practitioner, and attend all the government-approved Well Child checks.

“The government should not be coming into families like this and forcing our children to be separated from us,” Mrs Smith said. “Back in 1877 we lost the freedom to educate our own children, at home, from ages 6-16. Our forefathers let us down by not fighting for this freedom more when the Education Act was passed in 1877. We now have to apply for exemptions for our 6 – 16 year olds.

“Do we want that for our 3 -5 year olds as well? No, definitely no!”

Under the Human Rights Act 1993, parents have a right to choose what kind of education they will give their children. “Over the years there has been a lot of research that children do much better at home than in Early Childhood centres,” Mrs Smith added, citing research available on the HEF website. Mrs Smith says many concerned Kiwis have contacted her about the new legislation. “They want to continue learning at home with their 3-5-year-old children.”

She is also concerned that the Bill will open a path to ECE and health checks being made compulsory for every child in New Zealand. “The government will say that this is working so well for beneficiaries (and it won’t be) that they will want it to apply to everyone on the WFF and Family Support. Then to all 3- 5 year olds in a few years’ time.”

As a widow with three minor children, Mrs Smith is uniquely placed to grasp the repercussions of the bill. “I am not on the widow’s benefit as my 5 older children are supporting me. I am extremely thankful for them. But I feel for those widows and mothers raising their children on their own, trying to do a good job, wanting not to be separated from their 3-5-year-olds and wanting to make their own decisions about their children’s health. Reforming the benefit system should not include compulsory education and health care.

“Why don’t we target the irresponsible fathers rather than making it tougher for single mothers?”

Serving, Promoting and Strengthening the Home Education Community in New Zealand since 1986

ends

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Links:

• Make a submission: Reject compulsory Early Education for 3 year olds
• Some of the main 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?

Contact the Select Committee members and make your concerns known:

13 March 2013

ACTION STATION:

Please contact all the MPs via email/letter/phone and visits.

We are not happy with the Select Committee’s report: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2012/0067/latest/DLM4750159.html

Press Release: https://hef.org.nz/2013/media-release-21-parents-unhappy-with-select-committee-report-on-social-security-bill/

MPs local electorate contact details: https://hef.org.nz/beneficiaries/mp-electorate-office-for-peaceful-protest/

MPs Contact details: http://tinyurl.com/cgyf98a

8 March 2013 at 1:30pm Peaceful Protests outside MPs Electorate Offices throughout New Zealand.

URGENT ACTION required: Social Security Bill

International Human Rights Day 10 December 2012

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill: Best Scenario?

Social Security Bill and the Human Rights Commission  Please write a letter to the Select Committee and Human Rights Commission

Make A Submission

Do you want compulsory  preschool education

for 3 – 5 year olds

in addition to compulsory education for 6 – 16 year olds?

*******

Do you want it to be compulsory to have to enrol with a General Practitioner and to complete core WellChild/Tamariki Ora checks?

*******

“Do you believe YOU should be forced to send your children to Early Childhood Education (ECE)?
Then stand up for the beneficiaries who’ll be forced to do just that!

Otherwise, when they come for YOUR children, what will you say?”

*******

The Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill 2012 is wanting to bring this in for all beneficiaries.

This legislation must be TOTALLY REJECTED — WHY?

In 1877 New Zealanders lost the freedom to educate our children at home without applying for permission. Our forefathers let us down by not standing up for their rights.

In 2012, will we be the generation that begins to lose the freedom to preschool our own children, to make our own decisions about health care, or to invest our time in our families above a job?

We say NO  

Let us protect the children of Beneficiaries

Because this could extend to ALL children

if this passes

 SPEAK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE

The Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill sponsored by National MP Paula Bennett has been sent to a Government Select Committee. This means that people like you can make a submission (short or long) and have your say direct to the MP’s. And we want to help you every step of the way so as to make the task as simple as possible. The 1st reading in Parliament showed that only 19 MP’s need to change their vote to NO in order to defeat this bill. It is vital that as many people as possible show their support for beneficiaries and help to fight to overturn this Bill which, if passed, will mean beneficiaries children will have to:

• attend 15 hours a week Early Childhood Education (ECE) from age 3

• attend school from age five or six

• enrol with a General Practitioner

• complete core WellChild/Tamariki Ora checks

*******

“But this wont be all. Watch what will happen next. The Government will say that this is working so well for beneficiaries (and it wont be) that they will want it to apply to everyone on the WFF and Family Support. Then eventually ALL 3- 5 year olds in a few years time.”

https://hef.org.nz/2012/qa-social-development-minister-paula-bennett/

*******

Click here for the Memorandum – Working paper

KEY POINTS – These are the key reasons, and can help form the basis of your own Submissions

***Click here to download online reading of Pamphlet

*** Click here to download Pamphlet for printing and giving out to people  (Hint for printing choose 2 sided print flip on short side)

(For some people this pamphlet wont print direct from this page, so you will have to save this page to your computer, then open the pdf –  then it will print just fine.)

*** Click here for the flyers for handing out to people

Flyer Would you

Flyer 1 Do you

Flyer Make a Submission

HINTS – We have also included some handy hints to help you get your message across in the links above

SUBMISSION FORM – Don’t know where to start? We’ve done it for you! Use the default Submission form to get started.

You can download just the Submission Form HERE or here Submission Form 1

There is also an online link to make your Submission online HERE (go to bottom of page)

Some submissions HERE     (66 submissions there now)

Official Government Link for this Bill HERE

Please also write to the Members of Parliament (MPs)

List Of Members Of Parliament September 2012

Please note: SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY  1 November 2012 (They will not accept late submissions.)

Please encourage others to send in a submission

Let us protect the children of Beneficiaries

Remember it could extend to ALL children if this passes

Home Education Foundation

P O Box 9064

Palmerston North

https://hef.org.nz

If you would like to make a donation towards the Lawyers help on this please deposit in this account Home Education Foundation 030726 0495399 00 or send a cheque or visa details to the address above. Please include your personal details if you would like a tax deductible receipt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please feel free to repost, forward or pass on  this email

Please do so with the whole post. Thankyou

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Links:

• Current Social Services Select Committee Members: Urgent action required
• Media Release 20 – Accidents, Escapes Plague Early Childhood Centres
• Media Release 19 – Social Security Bill Work Focus Will Make Life Harder for Mums
• Media Release 18 – How Home-Based Child Care Saves the Government Money
• Media Release 17 –Preschool Bad for Children, Says Swedish Parental Rights Advocate
• URGENT ACTION required: Social Security Bill
• Media Release 16 – Call For Letter Writing Campaign Against Social Security Bill
• Media Release 15 – Home Educators Appeal To Human Rights Commission On ‘Discriminatory’ Social Security Bill
• Social Security Bill and the Human Rights Commission
• Home Educators on Benefits
• John Key: Let us target and focus more on those who are in need
• New Zealand, Sweden and the Johanssons
• Contacting the Select Committee
• International Human Rights Day 10 December 2012
• Media Release 14 – Social Security Bill Is Unjustifiably Discriminatory, Says NZ Law Society
• Media Release 13 – Australian Benefit Reforms Bow to Parents’ Rights
• A few more tips when giving an oral submission
• More experiences before the Select Committee
• Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill: Best Scenario?
• Home Educators happy with benefit revamp in Australia
• Kate’s oral submission and some questions
• Submissions published for the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill
• Presenting Oral Submission to Social Services Select Committee
• About Early Child Care in Sweden
• ECE linked to obesity in kids: study
• BERLIN DECLARATION
• Media Release 12 – Early Childhood Education Brings Social Drawbacks, Uncertain Benefits
• New Zealand Law Society Submission
• Australians have common sense where it seems our NZ Government does not
• ECE (Preschool) is no good for 4, 5 and possibly 6 year olds expert says
• Presenting an oral submission to the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill
• Social Services Select Committee members
• Barbara Smith’s submission
• Media Release 11 – Parents Are Responsible for Education, Says HEF National Director
• Media Release 10 – Preschool Associated With Social and Academic Disadvantage
• A Bit of Political Advice to Home Educators by Craig Smith
• Samuel Blight’s submission
• Home Education Foundation’s submission
• Media Release 9 – Social Security Bill Should Treat Home Education as a Legitimate Choice
• Media Release 8 – Social Security Bill Will Cause Real Hardship to Real People
• Family Integrity’s submission
• Media Release 7 – Paula Bennett’s One-Size-Fits-All Approach Leaves Parents With No Options
• 2nd letter from Paula Bennett to Barbara Smith
• Why should I put a submission into the Select Committee about the beneficiaries?
• Media Release 6 – Social Security Bill Will Punish Responsible Parents Who ‘Can’t Be Bought’
• Beneficiaries: Policy and Law
• 66 Submissions
• Submission: Trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, slavery and deception
• Media Release 5 – Beneficiary Parents “Not Able to Home School” Under Social Security Bill
• Media Release 4 – Social Security Bill Targets Responsible Parents for Toughest Penalties
• Letter from Paula Bennett to Samuel Blight
• Opinion Piece in Truth
• Possible timeline for Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill
• Media Release 3 – Social Security Bill’s ECE Obligations Breach Human Rights
• Media Release 2 – Vulnerable Children Not Benefited By Social Security Bill
• Media Release 1 – Social Security Bill Coerces Parents, Removes Freedom
• Make a submission: Reject compulsory Early Education for 3 year olds
• Some of the main 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 to Barbara Smith
• 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?

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reposting this for our subscribers – if you are not a subscriber then you might like to enter your email in the box at the top of the middle column –

Keep up to date with us

Receive an email with our daily posts. No posts, no email for you!