Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has defended the government’s decision to enhance the current redress system for state care abuse survivors with a $775 million boost, rather than creating a new compensation scheme as recommended by the Royal Commission.
Citing cost and delays in implementation, Luxon said it’s more important to act quickly for survivors who’ve waited too long.
“We actually feel moving quickly in order to get redress to them is actually really important”, said Luxon.
“So what we’ve done is taken the current system and made improvements to the current system rather than introduced a new system.”
However, the decision has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and survivor advocates. Labour leader Chris Hipkins accused the government of excluding survivors from the process and ignoring the need for independence, calling the apology made last year “hollow.” Meanwhile the Greens labelled the move as grossly inadequate, and Te Pāti Māori described it as “state-sanctioned damage control,” condemning the lack of genuine justice and survivor inclusion.
The first order of business is for the survivors to be fully compensated. Now.
Times are tough, we are borrowing $47million per day, also servicing a $180 billion debt, while I agree to compensation it has to come from somewhere the govt has instead decided to cut costs and we are still borrowing 47 million per day. And the govt hasn’t reeled those costs in.
We are still being burdened with the costs of DEI programs, funding to exploitative NGO’s that should be cut but as well as compensation justice is needed. Has one person been charged with a crime? why not. I dont care if these people are aged, if they are alive they should be prosecuted and their legacy destroyed like the lives they destroyed.
By now Luxon would be feeling he isn’t wanted in his role by anyone. And for the first time in his short political career, he would be right.
If Luxon can’t recognise victims of state care need compensation yet dirvert money into his war mongering views, he as no right to be in charge of your taxpayers money.
You would think those who carried out the abuse would be named.
We will not go to war to protect this dysfunctional government.
HOS MUCH DID HUMPTY DUMPTY DONATE ( OF OUR MONEY ) TO THE CORRUPT UKRAINE which equated to escalating the war there ??????