- Child Support Amendment Bill
- Commissioner for Children's Powers to be Strengthened
- Submission Date Extended
Legislation Notes
Child Support Amendment Bill
This proposed Bill adjusts two important thresholds in the child support scheme: the level of the minimum child support payment, and the upper level of income for which a liable parent can be assessed.
The current minimum rate of child support is $520 a year, or $10 a week. This rate was set in 1990 and has not been increased since then. It is the amount paid by about 79,000 low-income liable parents. This bill proposes to raise the minimum child support payment to $663 a year, or $12.75 a week. At the other end of the spectrum, the maximum level of income for assessment purposes is currently $67,461 a year. The bill proposes to raise that maximum income level to $84,461 a year. It is estimated that about 3,200 liable parents will be affected.
The amendment would apply from 1 April next year.
Commissioner for Children's Powers to be Strengthened
In September, new legislation to increase the roles, functions and powers of the Commissioner for Children is to be introduced to Parliament. The legislation also aims to give better effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC) and increase the independence of the Commissioner. The Bill will include the following new functions and powers of the Commissioner:
- · raising awareness and understanding of children's rights and UNCROC, monitoring how the Convention works in practice and advocating for children generally;
- · the power to present reports to Courts, on their request, where there are issues relating to UNCROC or the interests of children generally;
- · promoting the participation of children in making decisions that affect their lives;
- · setting up an accessible and effective complaints mechanism for children and monitoring the nature and level of complaints;
- · extending the Commissioner's current investigative function; and
- · the right to report, with or without request, directly to the Prime Minister on matters affecting children's rights.
Once introduced, the Bill would be referred to Parliament's Social Services Select Committee for public submissions, with a view to seeing it enacted into law during 2002.
International Ozone Protocol
NZ has signed up to the latest amendment to the Montreal Protocol (the Beijing Amendment). The aim of the protocol is to protect the ozone layer. The ozone layer was expected to be fully recovered by 2050. It now appears that global warming may slow the rate of repair by some decades.
The Montreal Protocol was first signed in 1987 and ratified by NZ the following year. It has been amended a number of times as countries agreed to increasingly firm restrictions on production and trade of certain substances. The Beijing amendment adds bromochloromethane, which is little used in NZ, to the list of products controlled by the Protocol. It also extends restrictions on trade in ozone depleting substances with countries not party to the Protocol.
Submission Date Extended
The deadline for submissions on the Tax and Charities discussion document has been extended by one month, from 31 July to 31 August.
Contact for Enquiries
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Tel: 0800 00 83 33
Fax: +64 4 894 0720
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