Labour promises children's ministry

Annette King. Photo / Jason Dorday

Labour will scrap the Families Commission if elected and replace it with a Ministry for Children.

The party's deputy leader Annette King outlined the new policy in a speech to the party's election year congress in Wellington yesterday afternoon.

Labour would also have an annual "Children's Summit" for MPs, researchers, social agencies and academics.

King said it would pay for the new initiative from the Families Commission's annual budget of $7.7 million.

She believed there would be money left over for other departments with policies affecting children.

"It still astounds me that in New Zealand we have a minister for racehorses, a minister of the Rugby World Cup, a minister for senior citizens but no minister for the most vulnerable in our community, our kids."

Legislation would be passed requiring all government departments to meet targets and put every new or changed policy through a "child impact assessment" similar to those done for human rights.

The Children's Commission and Children, Young Persons and their Families Act would both be reviewed.

King criticised Social Development Minister Paula Bennett's proposal for a Green Paper review on child abuse, saying it was a costly option that would take too long.

Labour leader Phil Goff said the party would say before the election whether it would fully or partially reverse, National's changes to KiwiSaver.