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WORLD NEWS Friday 31 May 2019

New Zealand’s 1st ‘well-being budget’ targets mental health

By NICK PERRY Finance Minister Grant Rob-
Associated Press ertson said the increased
WELLINGTON, New Zealand spending was worth the
(AP) — New Zealand’s gov- extra debt and would help
ernment announced Thurs- stimulate the economy as
day it will spend billions of global economic growth
dollars more on mental slowed. “The old way of do-
health services and com- ing things has left too many
batting child poverty as people behind,” Robert-
part of a new approach to son said. “New Zealand-
its finances. The liberal-led ers want us to measure our
government unveiled the success, and invest on their
country’s first so-called well- behalf, in line with their val-
being budget. It aims to ues. The values of fairness,
measure social outcomes the protection of the en-
like health and the environ- vironment, the strength of
ment alongside traditional our communities.”
metrics such as economic Under the budget, spend-
growth. The new approach ing on mental health will
has been lauded by some increase by 1.9 billion New
internationally but criticized Zealand dollars ($1.2 billion)
by the conservative oppo- over the next four years.
sition as meaningless win- Part of that will include
dow-dressing. New Zealand’s Finance Minister Grant Robertson talks to reporters and analysts about the budget extra money for suicide
The budget was the first on Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Wellington, New Zealand. prevention services as the
since a gunman killed 51 Associated Press country tries to tackle its
people at two Christchurch types of semi-automatic didn’t identify the man ac- ment borrowing was fore- high suicide rate.
mosques in March, and it weapons often used in cused of the slaughter as a cast to rise, the net debt “One death from suicide is
included money for a gun mass shootings. potential threat. was expected to stay at one death too many, and
buyback scheme after the The budget also increased Overall, new spending was about 20% of GDP as the the effects of each suicide
government introduced funding for the nation’s in- up significantly on previous size of the economy also on friends and family is dev-
new laws banning the telligence agencies, which forecasts. But while govern- expanded. astating,” Robertson said.q

Polish advocate for church victims resigns in scandal

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA internal audit into the alle- been the supreme goal for
Associated Press gations reported Thursday me,” Lisinski wrote. Lisinski,
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — by the Gazeta Wyborcza who says he was abused
The founder and head of daily. “This came as a great by a priest when he was 13,
a Polish organization dedi- shock to us,” said board played a key role in forcing
cated to helping victims of member and lawmaker the public in predominant-
clerical sex abuse has re- Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus. ly Catholic Poland to con-
signed following a reports She did not want to com- front the problem of cleri-
that a victim believes he ment before the results of cal abuse by forming the
had cheated her for mon- the audit are known. foundation five years ago.
ey and that he demanded In a post on Facebook, Lisin- Pope Francis kissed Lisinski’s
money from the producers ski denied the allegations, hand during a landmark
of a documentary about saying he “never swindled” meeting with abuse victims
In this Oct. 8, 2018 file photo Marek Lisinski left, sits with activist clerical abuse. The foun- anyone and insisted that in February at the Vatican.
Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska, center, and opposition lawmaker dation “Have No Fear” he only borrowed money He was part of a group that
Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus during a meeting that demanded
strict criminal punishment for pedophile priests at the parliament said the head of its board, and intended to return it gave Francis a report on
in Warsaw, Poland. Marek Lisinski, resigned in December. “The good child sex abuse by priests in
Associated Press and that it has opened an of the survivors has always Poland. q