This is election year and the Opposition Parties are starting to make promises. David Cunliffe, the leader of the Labour Party in Parliament, has given some promises for families. These are some of them.
If Labour is the government they will increase free child care from 20 hours a week to 25 hours a week for 3 to 5 year olds. They want to increase paid maternity leave from 14 weeks to 26 weeks. And they will pay $60 a week when a new baby is born. This will continue for 1 year for all families who earn less than $150,000 a year. For families on a middle or low income, the $60 a week will continue for 3 years.
David Cunliffe said this was to lift families out of poverty. He said this would cost the country $147 million for the first year, increasing to $566 million by 2020.
The National Party called these promises a bribe, buying votes.
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