Welfare reform the right thing.

The Kiwi Party
Press Release
23 March, 2010

Kiwi Party leader Larry Baldock welcomed today’s announcement by the Government regarding some measures of welfare reform.

“It is very interesting to hear the chorus of naysayers who immediately claim it will not work, and quite frankly I am sick of hearing it," said Mr Baldock.

“The issue surely should be about whether the policies are 'right and just' for both the recipient and the taxpayer!”

“People should not be allowed to claim unemployment benefits without seriously looking for paid work. There is an old saying that if you didn’t have a full time paid job, you had a full time job looking for work!” 

“If the weekly unemployment benefit being paid to a person is the equivalent of say 13 hours at the minimum wage, then that is how many hours they should spend looking for work and doing useful volunteer work in the community.”

“Is it right for women or men receiving the DPB to be asked to look for part time paid work if there youngest child is now in school?”  We need to remember that the whole point of the DPB is so that children deprived of the support of two parents can have their reasonable needs met, which includes having adequate time with a parent.

“It would therefore be wrong to send a message that implied that paid work was their first priority, but it would be right to require that after allowing sufficient time to meet  their children’s needs for social, physical, and educational development, then time needs to be spent doing what they can to meet their financial needs through paid work.

The government however has a responsibility to make sure that abatement policies do not end up making the pay rates of any part time employment less than the minimum wage in real terms.”

“The priority of those on sickness benefits must be to do all in their power to gain full health again where that is humanly possible. If the disability is long term and incurable then work should only be expected commensurate with capabilities.

“If policies are based on the right principles they will deliver a healthy and productive society. So much of our welfare spending in the past 30 years has been failing in this regard,” said Mr Baldock.

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