Showing posts with label sue bradford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sue bradford. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Anti smacking law a resounding success

Hasn't the removal of section 59 or the anti smacking law been a resounding success?

Over the last week two children have died after being beaten to a pulp and one in in critical care with life-threatening injuries that include internal bleeding, head injuries and several pelvic fractures.

Sue Bradford, Helen Clark , Cindy Kiro and the law's supporters have thanked State agencies for executing the new law with such success over the last year.

7 children have been killed in the year since the law was passed and many more have been seriously injured:

  • Remuera 16 month old Sachin Dhani June 2007
  • a 28-year-old woman charged with murdering a newborn baby found dead in the backyard of a Te Mome Road property in Alicetown June 2007
  • Tokoroa 22-month-old Tyla-Maree Darryl Flynn June 2007
  • Rotorua 3 year old Nia Glassie July 2007
  • Manurewa ten-month-old Jyniah Mary Te Awa September 2007
  • Otahuhu two-month-old Tahani Mahomed December 2007
The law's supporters have all come out and strongly spoken out against the killings and additional severe beatings, and cite the removal of section 59 as the impetus for further good results in 2009.

"Our kids can can be thankful for this kind of considerate, sensible, compassionate and effective law and we are very proud to have passed it".

After all it is about the safety of children.


5:00AM Tuesday July 08, 2008
By Elizabeth Binning

A 39-year-old woman has been charged over an assault that left an Avondale toddler fighting for his life.

Itupa Julie Mikaio appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday charged with assaulting Benjamin Mikaio, 3, on or about June 27.

The defendant, who comes from Samoa and is unemployed, did not enter a plea. She was given bail.

Police say they are still considering whether other charges will be laid.

Benjamin was rushed to the Starship hospital three days after the attack - on the advice of extended family members - with life-threatening injuries that included internal bleeding, head injuries and several pelvic fractures. Continued


Related Political Animal reading

Police called as toddler fights for life
Sascha Cobern's letter to the Editor of the
NZ Herald
Anti-smacking petition a slap in the face for out of touch Politicians
Sign the Anti Anti smacking petition
Cindy Kiro gets violent

c Political Animal 2008

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

NZ HERALD: Police called in as toddler fights for life

Yet another child is injured. Just as many, if not more children have been hurt or killed since the anti smacking legislation was introduced over one year ago.

This is an indictment of failure for this legislation and common sense suggested before it was passed that the bill was about restricting parents rights and increasing State influence rather than caring about our kids.

Cindy Kiro, Susie Bradford and Especially Ms Clark should hang their heads in a collectivist shame.

What they will do while our kids are being bashed like the one below though is wring their hands as they always do, and tell New Zealanders that it is "everyone's fault", not the bad parents fed by Labour's Welfare State that are responsible.


5:00AM Wednesday July 02, 2008
By Elizabeth Binning
A child abuse team was alerted after the toddler's injuries raised suspicion. Photo / Martin Sykes

A child abuse team was alerted after the toddler's injuries raised suspicion. Photo / Martin Sykes

An Auckland toddler is fighting for his life after being taken to hospital with serious injuries that are now being investigated by police.

It is understood the 3-year-old Avondale boy suffered the injuries while in the care of his family early this week.

The family are believed to have sought advice from relatives in Glen Innes before the boy was taken to Starship hospital on Monday afternoon.

Police were alerted to the possible case of child abuse by medical authorities at 4.30pm.

The Herald understands the boy has several injuries, including serious head injuries. continued

Related Political Animal Reading

Sascha Cobern's letter to the Editor of the
NZ Herald
Anti-smacking petition a slap in the face for out of touch Politicians
Sign the Anti Anti smacking petition
Cindy Kiro gets violent

c Political Animal 2008


Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Sue Bradford strikes out (Again)


The comely Ms Bradford, in her element.



Given that the repeal of section 59 has been voted down by over 350,000 voters(almost 3 times more people that voted for Bradford's Green Party) in the petition for a referendum to allow good parents to discipline their children, in an appropriate way, and it will be held during the 2008 Election ,it is time for the latest Stan Blanch cartoon.

Stan can be quite a vicious bastard, at times extremely pithy, but he is often on the money and at at times much more, than mainstream political cartoonists.

c Political Animal 2008

Monday, May 26, 2008

NZ HERALD: Poll reveals we're still smacking our children


In the wake of the acquittal of Chris Kahui for murdering his 2 young children and not a thing said in the media by Sue Bradford, she is out again today trying to make good parents who give their children a corrective smack criminals and normalise that-Political Animal

Sue Bradford celebrates the passing of the anti-smacking law in 2007. Photo / Mark Mitchell
5:00AM Monday May 26, 2008
By Angela Gregory
NZ HERALD : Almost half of parents with children under 12 have smacked them in the past year, a survey has found.

The Family First lobby group commissioned a market research company to poll New Zealanders on their attitudes to parental discipline since the anti-smacking law came into effect in June last year.

It found that 48 per cent of respondents with children under 12 had smacked their child after the law change.

The changes to the Crimes Act outlawed the use of parental force against children for purposes of correction.

The issue polarised New Zealanders.

The law change was led by Green MP Sue Bradford, whose private member's bill removed from the Crimes Act the statutory defence of reasonable force to correct a child.

But it was passed only after last-minute changes, approved by a large majority in Parliament, which directed the police not to prosecute inconsequential offences.

Family First's national director, Bob McCoskrie, said he was surprised the polling found so many parents admitting they had flouted the law.

He said 51 per cent of mothers had admitted continuing to smack.

Related reading

Anti Anti-smacking petition a slap in the face for out of touch Politicians
Sign the anti smacking petition
Sacha Cobern's letter to NZ Herald Editor
Cindy Kiro gets violent
Anti-smacking law puts young boy at risk


"For a new law to be ignored by so many people who are willing to risk a police or [Child, Youth and Family] investigation indicates just how out of step with reality this law is."

The nationwide poll surveyed 1018 randomly selected respondents, with a fairly even spread of men and women aged from 18.

About a quarter of the respondents had children under 12.

Mr McCoskrie said the poll followed a similar one done in June last year, just after the new law came into effect.

In that survey, 78 per cent of parents said they would smack their child to correct their behaviour if they believed it was reasonable to do so.

Ms Bradford said yesterday that the new poll indicated an improvement in attitudes, as a year on only 48 per cent admitted having done so.

"We are well on the way; that is a great result," she said.

But Mr McCoskrie said the new poll showed the percentage opposed to the anti-smacking law had risen to 73 per cent from 62 per cent last year.

Men, people aged more than 60 and those from rural areas opposed it most strongly.

He said only 19 per cent strongly or somewhat agreed with the new law despite the police discretion clause, down from 29 per cent last year.

Almost half of those surveyed - 47 per cent - strongly disagreed with the ban on smacking.

Mr McCoskrie said 85 per cent of those polled - up from 82 per cent a year ago - agreed the new law should be changed to state that parents who gave their children a smack that was reasonable and for the purpose of correction were not breaking the law.

He said the polling sent a clear message to political parties seeking support for this year's election.

When asked whether their support for a party would be affected if it promised to change the law, 37 per cent said they would be more likely to vote for that party. This was up from 31 per cent last year.

The number of people whose vote would be unaffected by a policy to change the law fell from 59 per cent last year to 53 per cent this year.

Mr McCoskrie said the results showed New Zealanders had not been fooled by the anti-smacking lobby's claim that smacking was child abuse.

"They haven't been duped by arguments that children are damaged by reasonable smacking, and they have understood that our unacceptable rate of child abuse has far deeper root causes than a loving parent who corrects their child with a smack on the bottom," he said.

Asked if they thought the new law was likely to help reduce child abuse, 79 per cent said it was not at all likely. This figure was up from 77 per cent last year.

Organisers of a petition to reverse the anti-smacking law change have until the end of next month to gain the number of signatures needed to force a non-binding referendum at this year's election.

Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro said yesterday that she had not seen the survey.

But she urged people to move on and learn better parenting skills.

"The key message is, 'For goodness sake, can't we move on?' So much energy has been wasted debating this."

Dr Kiro said people needed to learn and be encouraged in positive parenting.

She believed there was a trend away from physical punishment.* The poll was conducted during the week beginning May 12 and has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Sign the anti smacking referendum(UPDATE)

The "anti smacking bill", or repeal of section 59 last year has lead to a petition for a referendum.The referendum has 280,000 signatures and needs 20000 more for a referendum to be held at this years election at the end of 2008. Give Sue Bradford, Helen Clark and her mates a slap in the face!!

Footnote: As of last week this petition fell short of the 280000 signatures by 15000.
There are another 7 weeks or so for those signatures to be collected.

Download and sign the petition here

C Political Animal 2008

Friday, February 22, 2008

Anti Anti-Smacking Petition slap in the face for out of touch Parliament

The anti, anti-smackers group have succeeded in their quest to get 300,000 kiwis to vote for their petition.

Congrats from Political Animal and congrats to those who cast their vote.

A real smack in the face for Bradford and the lemon suckers from Labour and other supporting players; Greens, Maori Party and the dopey National Party.

If there is a referendum this election, any elected party will be even dopier to ignore it.


c Political Animal 2008


Petition aiming to revoke smacking bill passes 300,000

NZPA | Friday, 22 February 2008

A group aiming to overturn the so-called anti-smacking legislation say they have enough signatures to force a referendum.

One of the organisers, Kiwi Party leader Larry Baldock, told a news conference today the petition had gone past the 300,000 target.

"The actual target to force a referendum is 285,019, which is 10 per cent of the electoral roll, but we aimed at 300,000 to be safe," Mr Baldock said.

"As of today we have 322,252 signatures."

The petition asks: "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?"

Mr Baldock said nearly as many people had signed a second petition question, "Should the Government give urgent priority to understanding and addressing the wider causes of family breakdown, family violence and child abuse in New Zealand".

The petition follows the passing into law of Sue Bradford's bill last year outlawing the defence of reasonable parental correction in assault cases.

It was passed 113-8 after a last-minute amendment put forward by National stating police did not have to pursue inconsequential smacking.

Mr Baldock said the petition would be handed into Parliament at the end of next week, where parliamentary clerks would check on the number of duplicate signatures.

"We think some it impossible some people won't have signed twice - 12 months is a long time - but we are hoping it will be no more than 10 to 15 per cent."

If the petition reaches the official target Mr Baldock said there was a good chance a referendum would be put to voters on election day.

The referendum would not be binding.

Mr Baldock said politicians should not ignore the referendum if it was passed.

"It's not just about pro-smacking or anti-smacking, it's about our democracy. The most recent poll said 74 per cent of New Zealanders were opposed to the bill," he said.

Co-organiser Christine Rankin said Ms Bradford's bill would do nothing to stop child abuse.