September 21, 2012
PM showing strain over poverty questions
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says the Prime Minister is showing the strain of dealing with pressure about Maori water rights, child poverty and Act MP John Banks’ false election returns.
During a torrid question time yesterday, John Key was forced to apologise for calling Ms Turei “barking mad”.
She says it’s legitimate to question the country’s top decision maker about why he will not address the poverty faced by the 150,000 children of beneficiaries.
“He’s not doing anything for those kids except saying eventually there will be jobs their parents can get. It’s no solution, not for the kids who are waiting, not for the kids that have no lunch and go to school without breakfast. If he can’t address those questions and instead just wants to throw insults and be offensive, this guy has no right to be our prime minister,” Ms Turei says.
The Greens launched the Take a Step child poverty campaign at Edmund Hillary School in Papakura, which has a volunteer-led breakfast programme for hungry pupils.