The Families Commission

Simon Collins at the NZ Herald looks at what may happen to the Families Commission:\

New Families Commission head Jan Pryor is surprisingly relaxed for someone whose new empire may be wiped out in a few months time.

Her predecessor, Dr Rajen Prasad, also 62, is tipped to be named on Labour’s election list next Saturday.

That would be an interesting twist to the term rejuvenation.

For National, the most likely election winner, this may be the final insult from a body it has never liked. National MP Judith Collins has not forgotten that Prasad attacked former National leader Don Brash after his 2005 Orewa speech for “driving a wedge” between families on domestic purposes benefit and other families.

By contrast, she says, the commission has never criticised any Labour policy. She is coy about whether National will again propose merging the commission with the Children’s Commissioner as it did at the last election, but it’s clear that the commission is fighting for its life.

I have a list of three commissions which could go – electricity, tertiary education and families. It is a growing list!