PM seeks more women in work

The Government is looking at British improvements to childcare services as it re-examines its childcare policies so more women can enter the workforce.

Prime Minister Helen Clark's statement to the first sitting of Parliament yesterday outlined what she called a "bold agenda" to lift productivity, female participation in the workforce, savings rates and home ownership.

Some initiatives have already been well flagged, although Helen Clark offered no details of the plans.

She said that although early childhood education and childcare services were expanded in last year's Budget, more needed to be done.

She cited British plans for "dawn to dusk" out-of-school care from 8am to 6pm for children aged 5 to 11, with the aim of extending it to 14-year-olds in time.

Proposals for a year's paid parental leave were also being considered.

Helen Clark said those kinds of policies would be increasingly important in influencing the decisions of people considering living in New Zealand and expatriate Kiwis thinking of coming home.

"So we are looking again at our set of policies - across parental leave, child and out-of-school care, flexible working hours and work-life balance - to see how to boost both participation in the workforce and good outcomes for our children."

She said the Government was also looking at boosting home-based childcare resources.

The Government at present offers targeted subsidies for school-based and out-of-school childcare for children aged 5 to 14. But although the scheme received a boost in last year's Working for Families package, the Government still does not fully fund such care.

The Government has also increased paid parental leave, raising it by one week to 13 weeks last December, with the promise of another week to be added this December. But even this would still lag well behind the British proposal.

Social Development and Employment Minister Steve Maharey said last night the new childcare initiatives were expected to be completed for this year's Budget and would be designed for those unable to get childcare from existing sources.

The Prime Minister also revealed that the Government was looking at how to encourage expatriates to come home and Immigration Minister Paul Swain was seeking input from employers, many of whom were reporting skill shortages.

The plan echoes a call she and Cabinet minister Jim Anderton, then Alliance leader, made when they won the 1999 election for expatriates to return and help "rebuild" the country.

Helen Clark also used her speech to flag plans to:

* Reform the welfare system to refocus it on getting people into work, which she said on Monday would include creating a "single benefit".

* Help people establish a savings habit.

* Encourage more participation in workplace savings.

* Finish Treaty of Waitangi settlements in 10 to 15 years and set a deadline for lodging new claims.

On trade, she said Egypt had approached New Zealand about negotiating a free-trade agreement and the country was ready to enter talks with the United States, although negotiations were not on the horizon.

In his reply, National leader Don Brash attacked the speech as "election-year puffery" that pushed the message that taxpayers would earn the money and the Government would spend it.

Helen Clark and her Government had "confiscated" through taxes the fruits of the best economic conditions the country had enjoyed for decades.

Labour's agenda

* Lift labour productivity.
* Get more women into the workforce.
* Increase savings and home ownership.
* Promote Maori development.
* Encourage expats home.
* New trade opportunities and a focus on Asia.
* Build national identity and pride.