Maharey 'borrows' ideas from National

The 'Social Development' Minister is so lost for direction that he's started 'borrowing' phrases that Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley used back in 1990, says National Party Welfare spokesperson Katherine Rich.

"While singing the praises of the Social Entrepreneur Fund Steve Maharey issued a public statement under the headline 'Hand Up Not Hand Outs'.

"The same phrase was used by Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley in 1990, and it now appears in the National Party's recently released Welfare Paper, 'Saving The Next Generation From Welfare Dependency'.

"This is the same Minster whom, one week before seeing National's discussion paper, wrongly accused the Party of recycling ideas.

"A few weeks later, in an extreme case of hypocrisy, it would seem he's now trying to make the 'Hand Up Not Hand Outs' idea his own," Mrs Rich says.

"Perhaps he didn't think the public would remember or has Mr Maharey finally realised his Government's soft approach on Welfare is failing?

"More and more these days Mr Maharey is talking about 'welfare reform' when he's been such a staunch defender of the status quo," says Mrs Rich.

"Perhaps he too has now seen the statistics which show an increasing number of beneficiaries are citing stress as a reason for moving off the dole and onto the longer-term sickness and invalids benefits.

"Labour will not be able to fix our welfare problem without a radical re-think.

"An honest Government would have the courage to change the system not just their language, so beneficiaries do get a hand-up not just a hand-out," Mrs Rich says.

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