29 January 2013

Charity is Not the Answer

It is the Government's job to provide for families in need - not that of charities, says Auckland Action Against Poverty spokesperson Sarah Thompson.

“Charity is not the answer. This National-led Government and its supporting parties seem hell bent on taking us back to the 19th century and earlier where assistance for the poor and vulnerable depended on the good will of the wealthy and the churches.

“National's welfare reforms and some of Labour's in the 2000s are taking us further and further away from the concept of the welfare state as developed in the 1930s and leading us back to draconian times.

“Every time another charity picks up a 'feed the kids' or 'provide them with shoes' or other such programme, commendable though it may be from an individual point of view, it is another nail in the coffin of the welfare state.

“Auckland Action Against Poverty believes it would be much better for the future of this country if some of the resources people are kindly giving to these charities went instead to groups like ours who are fighting for structural change, for a society where everyone has a chance at education, a decent job and a living wage.

“Ultimately, people know how to care for their children but they need decent jobs to be created, a living wage, and higher benefit payment rates – all of which it is our Government's job (not charities) to provide.”

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>