National's Social Services spokesperson Bob Simcock today said merging the Social Policy Ministry with the Department of Work and Income would effectively downgrade the status of social policy.

"Placing a policy unit to look after all aspects of social policy into the realm of a welfare delivery agency makes absolutely no sense. It will result in worse advice not better."

He said the controversial super ministry, which came into effect today, was created out of nothing more than political expediency.

"It was simply an expensive and ill thought out Government ploy to get rid of former WINZ head Christine Rankin. There were no policy papers advising of this. In fact quite the opposite has been recommended in recent times.

"Departmental advice to the incoming Minister after the last election made it plain that the Government's advisors did not support any further restructuring in the sector.

"Last year's Hunn Review on the Department of Work and Income advised against further restructuring of that department. What's more, Judge Mick Brown's review of the Child Youth and Family Service blamed repeated restructuring for much of the difficulties that department faces.

"Yet again this is another example of this Government's 'we know best' approach. The merger certainly has no basis or logic," Bob Simcock said.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>