Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

'No justification' for Government delay on benefit increases

'No justification' for Government delay on benefit increases

Child Poverty Action Group says the Minister of Social Development Minister should give a full explanation of why benefit levels were not raised immediately following the 2015 Budget.

Radio New Zealand reported on Saturday 25 July that the Government considered increasing benefit payments immediately but decided against it.

"Mrs Tolley was asked at the [National Party] conference why the Government was waiting until next April before increasing the benefit for beneficiary families by $25 a week.

She said the Government had considered increasing the payment immediately on Budget night, but decided against it so that people would be able to make submissions to the select committee on the changes to the work obligations for sole parents."

In June this year the OECD reported in the Economic Survey of New Zealand 2015 that benefits had fallen far too far behind and should be raised and then linked to median wages.

"Increasing main (basic) benefits and indexing them to median wages would reduce poverty across all beneficiary classes, including single-person households (below age 65), who have the second-highest relative risk of poverty."( OECD, p 39)

CPAG argued that the budget changes were inadequate and selective. Nevertheless $25 for some is better than nothing.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Spokesperson Associate Professor Susan St John said, "Advice provided by the Prime Minister’s department for Budget 2015 showed that families reliant on a benefit did not have enough income to meet their basic costs. The delay in delivering the increase is completely unjustified and shows the Government is out of touch with the urgent needs of beneficiaries."

Children have been made to wait and families will forgo around $1,000 much needed extra income just to allow for submissions on new work obligations. Susan St John said, "Submissions on work obligations could still have occurred later this year even if benefits were increased immediately: they are unrelated issues. Or is the Minister suggesting that benefit increases are conditional on getting the new work obligations passed into legislation?"


ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.