United Future gets commitment on Commission for the Family

By AUDREY YOUNG

Peter Dunne's United Future has secured a commitment to develop a Commission for the Family under the deal to give the Labour-led minority Government confidence and supply votes.

The commission was a big policy plank for the party.

As stated in United Future policy, such a commission would comprise:

* A national centre for research into the family, including study of youth suicide, promoting the status of the family and the role of parents.

* A co-ordinating and monitoring role of Government departments responsible for family-related policy and laws, including improved early identification of health and social problems.

* A family support agency, including mediation and counselling, and "by Maori, for Maori" parental education programmes.

United Future will also gain credit for giving priority to legislation already before the House that gives crime victims greater rights.

Drafted legislation allowing public-private funding partnerships of new roads will also receive priority. The law could boost progress on Transmission Gully, a proposed route out of Wellington that Mr Dunne has championed.

The coalition deal between Labour and Jim Anderton's two-member Progressive Coalition says Labour will lead the broad policy programme "recognising the Progressive Coalition's general priorities of employment, support for low-income families, and health and education".

It wants progress on industry help, a youth drug plan and promotion of a better balance between work and family.

Full text of coalition agreement

United Future Agreement

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