"Social Services Minister Steve Maharey clearly does not even read his own Parliamentary answers which reveal registered long term unemployment over two years has grown by 26 percent since the Labour Government was elected," said ACT Leader Richard Prebble.

"The number of registered unemployed over two years has exploded from 44,372 in November 1999 when the Government was elected, to more than 56,000 at the end of November 2001.

"The strong growth in long term unemployment can be sheeted home to the Government's most politically correct Minister Steve Maharey, who has removed work for the dole, and is removing the work test on sole parents.

"Only ACT proposes a real work test for working age beneficiaries involving a compulsory 40 hour work or training week, which would cut long term unemployment by half," concluded Richard Prebble.

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