Protest in House over youth package

Press, 4 June 1988, Page 3

Protest in House over youth package

PA Wellington The Labour member of Parliament for Sydenham, Mr Jim Anderton, became peacemaker yesterday after 30 people forced their way into Parliament Buildings to protest against the Government’s new youth employment package.

Protesters and the police scuffled briefly in Parliament’s foyer, and one woman was arrested. She is believed to have been charged with assault. However, the situation calmed quickly, with the protesters — who included several children and three dogs — saying they would remain in the foyer until a Government spokesman met them. But on a Friday afternoon before a long weekend, it proved difficult to muster quickly any Government members of Parliament and the occupation lasted more than an hour before Mr Anderton was approached by a reporter and agreed to meet protesters. An empty meeting room was found and in a 40-

minute session the protesters aired their grievances to Mr Anderton, who promised to pass their concerns to the Minister of Employment, Mr Goff. The protesters represented a number of Wellington Access and unemployed groups, and told Mr Anderton the new package, announced by the Government on Wednesday, would cut their dole and Access training payments. With politicians receiving pay rises of about 10 per cent last month, one protester said the Government was pursuing a "reverse Robin Hood policy,” taking from the poor to give to the rich. People who had nothing would find other ways of getting money, including theft and drug dealing, protesters said. After the meeting the protesters left quietly, although they said they would return to Parliament on June 22. Mr Anderton said later that his presence was “an accident of timing.”

“I happened to be in my room,” he said. “Obviously there is some anger and frustration; it has been expressed and I think the best thing to do was to let them have their say.” Mr Anderton agreed the protesters had very real concerns, which would have to be looked at. • The Government appears to be acting inconsistently in providing better financial support to students, but not to the tertiary institutes, Victoria University’s Vice-Chancel-lor said yesterday. Professor Leslie Holborow said the youth support packge would be “quite important” in encourging students to go on to tertiary study, particularly those from lowerincome families. But very little was being done to solve the problems universities were having in trying to cope with increased rolls. Victoria University was having to “seriously consider” imposing further restrictions on enrolments' for next year.