Media Release

Dramatic Increase In DPB

Saturday, May 2, 2009

In the last year the number of people receiving the DPB has grown by 6,000.

Welfare commentator Lindsay Mitchell believes this is the beginning of an upward trend similar to what happened during the 1980s and 90s.

"We haven't since a rise like this for a long time. And it isn't just due to fewer jobs being available. Last year the part-time work force grew by almost 4 percent. And it isn't just due to redundancies because much of the growth is coming from young people who have never been in work."

"6,000 more single parents represents around 10,000 children - enough to fill twenty five substantial schools. But it isn't the cost to the taxpayer that is the most pressing aspect of this rise. It is how being on welfare affects children. The Labour government was quite clear that being on welfare long-term is not good for children yet they squandered an opportunity to really address the problem. National has no plans to."

"It would appear that the DPB has become so institutionalised there is little hope of following in the reform footsteps of other smarter countries."

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