28 March 2013

Heartbreaking welfare reform to become law

This afternoon the second big piece of legislation cementing in Paula Bennett's welfare reform programme is expected to pass its third and final reading in Parliament.

For us, it's heartbreaking to see the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill become law, says Auckland Action Against Poverty spokesperson Sarah Thompson.

“We know what these changes will mean for all the ordinary New Zealanders who end up in the welfare system because they're unemployed, sick, injured, disabled or bringing up children on their own.

“This isn't about anything pretty, or nice, or useful, as Paula Bennett likes to pretend.

“This is not about getting people into decent work, at a time when there are hundreds of thousands of unemployed people already looking for a job.

“In fact, this bill is deliberately aimed at driving up competition between paid and unpaid workers, scrabbling for the same low paid, casual and insecure jobs while keeping wages low for business.

“If the National Party and its friends really cared about unemployment and the unemployed, they would be instigating far reaching job creation programmes across all sectors, now.

“Instead, what we see is this endless, vicious retooling of the welfare system so that people are ground down to the point where they'll accept any work at any price, regardless of the impacts on their health and welfare, and that of their family.

“This bill will create a huge amount of collateral human damage, as well as costing the taxpayer far more than any savings in the long run, through added downstream costs in health, justice, housing and welfare dealing with the casualties.

“AAAP calls for - decent job creation at decent wages, and a total restructuring of our welfare system, including moving towards a Universal Basic Income.

We'd also like to see every party opposing this bill give assurances that they will overturn/repeal all National's abusive welfare changes should they form a government after the 2014 election.

ENDS

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