A Jolt to the right

The Alliance Party says the Labour Government’s new “Jobs Jolt” package represents a big shift to the right that would not have happened with the Alliance in government.

Alliance Leader and social justice spokesperson, Laila Harré says Labour’s “Jobs Jolt” attacks the most vulnerable in our community – those on the lowest incomes—the kind of people that Labour is supposed to represent.”

She says that in government the Alliance stopped plans for sanctions like these “in their tracks”.

“This policy will impact most heavily on Mâori who have moved to rural ancestral land as a means of escaping urban poverty,“ said Ms Harré

“There was nothing in Labour’s 2002 election manifesto indicating that getting tough on the unemployed was a key policy platform for this government.”

“The pollsters must have shown that Labour is losing ground to the right and this is a desperate ploy to win back the right. Low voter turnout by the unemployed means the Labour Party don’t rate their anger as an electoral risk.”

The Alliance favours investing in job creation, regional development and other policies leading to full employment to assist people off the unemployment benefit.

“The government should not treat beneficiaries like naughty children, punishing them for living in the wrong place or for being of an age where they are likely to face discrimination in the workforce.”

“Sanctions mean, literally, a willingness to starve people into submission.” asked Ms Harré.

“The “jobs jolt” flies in the face of this government’s rhetoric about regional government. You can’t on the one hand say that you want to develop the regions and then on the other punish people who move there. The contradiction inherent in this mixed bag of policies shows just how ideologically confused this Labour Government is,” said Ms Harré.

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