Monday, 11 August 2008
Best laid welfare plans can go bad - Dunne
UnitedFuture has responded cautiously to National's welfare plan, with leader Peter Dunne warning that the plan risks
being overly punitive and harsh in practice.
"We are talking here about some of our most vulnerable citizens, those with illness or disabilities and single parents
with dependant children," says Mr Dunne.
"Good ideas can easily get overtaken by the hard-liners, so that the policy becomes too harsh and inflexible as a
result.
"Creating work obligations for those sickness beneficiaries who can work a little may appear fine on paper, but the
danger remains that this policy could easily become somewhat ruthless in practice if some of the more right-wing
elements of National are charged with its action.
"In many other areas, the policy focus has been on making it easier for parents with dependant children to spend more
time at home in their child's formative years, but National's emphasis on getting single parents back into the workforce
quickly could be seen as running counter to this.
"These changes highlight the need for a moderate Government approach, something which at this point is unproven and
will have many beneficiaries sleeping a little less soundly tonight," says Mr Dunne.
ENDS