13 September

United Future’s u-turn undermines the family

“United Future must justify its decision to do a u-turn by supporting the Social Security (Working Towards Employment) Amendment Bill. At face value the Bill is anti-family and an insult to widows,” said Party Leader Graham Capill.

The Bill lumps the Dependent Parents Benefit (DPB) and the Widows Benefit (WB) together and removes the current work-test obligations for recipients of the DPB or WB, replacing it with a case management concept.

“To place widows in the same category as those receiving the DPB is unjustified and gives a legitimacy to the DPB that is unwarranted. Unlike those receiving the DPB, the circumstances facing widows were brought about through no fault of their own. That being the case, they deserve society’s care and compassion.

“DPB, by contrast, has resulted in children being brought into this world to deliberately provide a cash-flow for unmarried, usually young, women. Such irresponsibility will be encouraged further now that the government has decided to scrap work testing and provide easier DPB for longer. This has serious ramifications for the economy and for children disadvantaged through such home life.

“It is disturbing that United Future can flip-flop on something so fundamentally important. Its support for the Labour-Progressive Coalition government does not even require it to support this legislation and in doing so it has insulted widows and further jeopardise family life,” Mr Capill concluded.

Because DPB is a major cause of dysfunctional family life, the CHP has a policy to phase it out over six years, while introducing a radically new approach to welfare that would ensure genuine need is met compassionately.

END

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