Reducing child poverty is extremely important, and we need to give legal backing to that objective.

This from Victoria University Public Policy Professor Jonathan Boston, as United Future leader Peter Dunne calls for a Child Poverty Act to be established.

Jonathan Boston said the idea for an Act has been around for a few years. He said an advisory panel to the Children's Commissioner's office recommended a model based on the UK's Child Poverty Act a number of years back.

He told Rachel Smalley it could be modelled off the United Kingdom's Child Poverty Act which was passed in 2010, with cross-party support and clear framework.

"A clear statement of aims, what the objective is. It has the definition of poverty, it sets specific requirements for the Government to measure poverty and set targets in relation to four specific measures."

Professor Boston said children in prolonged poverty are hugely disadvantaged, and can cost the economy billions of dollars.

"They typically end up being more poorly educated, they typically end up having much worse health outcomes, they typically end up earning much less during their lifetimes and so on."

LISTEN ABOVE: Victoria University Professor Jonathan Boston speaks with Rachel Smalley