22 May 2015

Poverty campaigners protest before PM's speech

4:28 pm on 22 May 2015

Anti-poverty campaigners protested outside SkyCity in Auckland today before the Prime Minister John Key gave a post-Budget speech.

Police and SkyCity security officers guarded every entrance to the building to stop more than 50 protesters forcing their way in.

Spokesperson for Auckland Action Against Poverty Sue Bradford said yesterday's Budget will make things worse for beneficiaries.

"With the $25 a week in a year's time, they're trying to buy off the liberal right I guess, the people that are concerned about child poverty. But it's actually a meaningless sham for the kind of people we work with every day," she said.

In his speech, Mr Key said this was the first Government to raise benefits in 43 years so he thought those outside would be cheering not protesting.

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