2 August 2007

Beneficiary bashing no answer to child abuse

The Green Party is concerned that even Acting Minister of Social Development Steve Maharey may be falling prey to the latest round of beneficiary-bashing.

"In the wake of the two recent child violence cases in Rotorua, Mr Maharey has reportedly said that the Government 'welcomed the Rotorua Mayor's suggestion that beneficiary parents must contact welfare agencies to collect their money.' Mr Maharey should know better," Ms Bradford says.

"Mr Maharey's response only heightens the possibility that violence against children will be used as an excuse to impose even harsher conditions on beneficiaries - who are already intensively case managed and subjected to more regulations, restrictions and invasions of privacy than non-beneficiary citizens can imagine," Ms Bradford says.

"Such headlines foster the concept that violence against children is just a beneficiary issue. Violence inflicted on children also occurs among those in work, and among those not receiving any benefit at all.

"In recent weeks, the two major parties have been virtually singing from the same songbook on welfare. National has once again been floating its failed 'work for the dole' proposals that were objectively shown during the 1990s to make it harder, not easier, for beneficiaries to find genuine work. Labour has changed the law to make 'Work First' the underpinning of our welfare system, and is now apparently willing to risk linking child abuse in the public's mind, with the receipt of benefits.

"Indeed, targeting people on the DPB ignores the fact that the Government's own 'Work First' strategy may be contributing to the problem," Ms Bradford says.

"When the overarching goal of the benefit system is that people on the DPB, invalids and sickness benefits should aim to get into the paid workforce as soon as possible - and case managers at Work and Income actively pursue this strategy - mothers will sometimes feel impelled to go out to work, and may end up at times leaving their children with people who may not provide the best possible care for the child.

"I call on Steve Maharey to re-examine 'Work First' and its extensions through the recent Social Security Amendment Act, to ensure that the welfare of babies and children - and their primary caregivers - is put before the ideological drive to get as many beneficiary parents into the workforce as quickly as possible.

"Consideration should also be given to Childrens Commissioner Cindy Kiro's proposition that all children be tracked from birth, to ensure at least one external person or group has an eye on the child's welfare. The answer doesn't lie in making our welfare system even more repressive - especially when a Health Ministry survey released yesterday shows half of teenagers are 'victims of violence'," Ms Bradford says.

ENDS

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