Nobody knows about fundamental changes to social security

“Fundamental changes are being made to the purpose and principles of the Social Security Act and most people don’t even know it”, said sociologist Dr Louise Humpage, speaking at the Where to for Welfare? conference held on 21 March which discussed recent and proposed welfare reforms in New Zealand.

Along with other members of the University of Auckland’s Public Policy Group, she organised the conference to raise awareness about the Social Security Amendment Bill which the Social Services Select Committee heard oral submissions on yesterday.

“When the welfare state was established in 1938, social security was designed to
safeguard the people of New Zealand from disabilities arising from age, sickness, widowhood, orphanhood and unemployment. That was considered necessary to maintain and promote the health and general welfare of the community”, said Kay Brereton from the Wellington People’s Centre. “But the Social Security Amendment Act makes getting people into a job, any job, the first purpose of social security”.

This allows a more coercive approach to welfare, according to Dr Humpage. “A new pre-benefit activity to be completed before anyone is allowed to even make an application for the Unemployment Benefit and new planning and activity requirements for Sickness and Invalid’s beneficiaries are examples of how we care more about decreasing benefit numbers than looking after our neediest”.

The conference, which involved both local and international speakers, also raised concerns about the abolition of the Special Benefit, the Working for Families package and the proposed Special Benefit. Proceedings of the conference can be found at http://www.auckland.ac.nz/publicpolicygroup

ENDS

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