Bob Simcock National Social Services Spokesperson

6 November 2001

Maharey plays word games with DPB policy

The Social Services Minister is playing with words when he talks of scrapping work-testing for solo parents on the DPB and replacing it with a work contract, says National's Social Services spokesperson Bob Simcock.

"Steve Maharey's proposal is a sham. He talks of dropping work-testing, yet today he admitted that any new DPB regime would still have to include 'sanctions' if a person doesn't take a job that is available.

"What the Minister is really doing is reluctantly endorsing the DPB policy reforms introduced by National in 1999. He can't argue with the gains that have resulted from these reforms.

"A study out today by the Social Development Ministry proves this progress. It shows that National's reforms achieved all the goals set in 1999 - to get more beneficiaries into work, to reduce long-term benefit receipt, to reduce the number of children raised in long-term benefit dependent families, and to reduce fiscal cost over time.

"Two major findings of the study show that the number of people on a benefit has fallen consistently since the reforms were introduced, and that quality of life has improved as a result.

"Mr Maharey needs to face the facts. Attempting to meet an election promise of scrapping work-testing by introducing a different type of work-testing is hardly going to help those most in need," said Mr Simcock.

Ends

© Scoop Media

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>>