Budget against women — M.P.

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 7

Budget against women — M.P.

PA Wellington! The Budget forced part- h time women workers back | into the home or into full- 1 time work without providing i aid for child-care centres, i said the Labour spokeswoman on women’s rights, Mrs Marv Batchelor (Avon) in Parliament. There was complete lack of recognition for the work-1; ing woman in the Budget. With the passing of the Eoual ; Pav Act she had thought that she might have been able to i concentrate more on other! matters than woman’s affairs> but the Budget had changed, all that. Mrs Batchelor said.. It was an “anti-woman , Budget.” It did not provide subsidies for child-care centres or give taxation incentives for companies to provide them. Mrs Batchelor asked what sort of family life the Government thought it was creating. Mr W. R. Auston (Nat., Awarua): What a lot of rot.

Mrs Batchelor also asked if the Government intended to force women back into the home against their wishes: “I suppose they’ll just have to clean the house twice a day [instead of once a day.” Throughout her speech Mrs i Batchelor was continually ' interrupted by Miss Colleen |Dewe (Nat.. Lyttelton). She disagreed with nearly all Mrs Batchelor’s remarks, especially the assertion that thousands of people in Christchurch were on the breadline. Mr K. M. Comber (Nat., I Wellington Central) said that : Mrs Batchelor should have worn her cloth cap in Parliamen because her attitudes were those of the 1920 s and 19305. All she had done during her “poor” speech had been to “poor-mouth women and poor-mouth Christchurch.” The people of Christchurch and women would be disappointed by her contribution, he said.