Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Licence needed for work use Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Stress & depression benefits balloon under Labour

Stress & depression benefits balloon under Labour

Tuesday 30 Nov 2004

Dr Muriel Newman - Press Releases - Social Welfare

ACT Deputy Leader and Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman today revealed that the number of New Zealanders receiving a Sickness Benefit for stress or depression has more than doubled since Labour came to power.

"Answers to my written Parliamentary Questions show that the number of people granted a Sickness Benefit for stress or depression has increased 128 percent in five years - from 5,354 in October 1999, to 12,228 in October 2004," Dr Newman said.

"This ballooning figure has contributed to the 40 percent increase in the number of New Zealanders receiving the Sickness Benefit - from 34,723 to 48,818 during the same period.

"These figures come at a time when Social Development Minister Steve Maharey has been self-congratulating himself on the drop in unemployment figures. It appears that he is happy to turn a blind eye to able-bodied beneficiaries signing up to the Sickness Benefit, if it means keeping the unemployment rate down.

"New Zealanders know that low unemployment figures mean little if they're matched by high Sickness Benefit numbers. What these figures show is that Steve Maharey and the Labour Party have gone soft on welfare.

"ACT believes that people should be proactively rehabilitated into the workforce. We are not a sicker society but, sadly, we are letting more people slip onto sickness benefits and languish there without any plan to return to work," Dr Newman said.

ENDS


Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

Featured News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.