Govt. responds to National’s welfare policy

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: The National Party's welfare policy has been labelled totally outdated by the Government.

"The policy reflects a return to the 1990s", Social Development Minister Ruth Dyson said today.

National leader John Key said today a government formed by him would have "an unrelenting focus" on getting beneficiaries into work.

Announcing core elements of National's welfare policy, he pledged there would be no cuts to benefits and National would not introduce a work-for-the-dole or a community wage scheme.

"Instead we will be going one better and will focus on long-term unemployed by requiring them to get paid work and get off the benefit," he said.

"Within 12 months of taking office, National will require everyone who has been on the dole for more than a year to re-apply for their benefit and undergo a comprehensive work assessment."

Under the benefit policy, solo parents will have to seek part-time work once their youngest child is six.

At present there is no obligation for domestic purpose beneficiaries to seek work.

National will also increase the amount of money beneficiaries can earn without losing any of their benefit - from $80 to $100.

It will relax the abatement regime for beneficiaries with a part-time job - beneficiaries lose 70c in every dollar they earn over $80 a week and National will raise that to $100 to encourage them to work.

Ms Dyson said it was a case of "back to the past" for National.

"The 1990s is back and today the National Party showed how bereft they really are of new ideas," Ms Dyson said.

The policy would introduce a "work or no benefit" approach, increase bureaucracy and stop progress towards a core benefit.

Punishing beneficiaries would mean their children would suffer the most, while the Government's current policy gave people the support and incentives to work, Ms Dyson said.

Mr Key said paid work was the route to independence and well-being for most people and the best way to reduce child poverty,

"Long-term welfare dependency locks people into a life of limited income and limited choices."

Other main points of the policy are:

* introduce more frequent assessments during the first few months a person is on a sickness benefit;

* put into law inflation adjustments to benefits. This is currently done by convention;

* reject the Government's planned new benefit terminology because the intended single core benefit "has ended in a farce";

* require the most frequent applicants for benefit advances to attend a budget advisory service at the Government's expense to get qualified advice.