March 23, 2010
Media Release

Mean-spirited welfare reform will hurt all Kiwis - WPC

The government’s new welfare reform is a mean-spirited attack on beneficiaries says the WPC.

The reforms announced today will see tens of thousands of beneficiaries forced to try to find work despite record unemployment.

WPC spokesperson Kay Brereton says the move shows the government has no interest in taking responsibility for its own inaction.

“This government has sat on its hands while tens of thousands of Kiwis lose their jobs and now the minister responsible for this dire situation, Paula Bennett, is blaming the very people she has failed.

“Instead of devising policies to punish Kiwis who have fallen on hard times John Key and Paula Bennett should be working to save jobs.

“Instead they’ve made it clear that they don’t give a damn if you lose your job and if you can’t find another one fast enough they’ll happily put the boot in.

“With record unemployment any move to force more desperate people onto the job market will only force wages down for everyone.

“It won’t just be beneficiaries that suffer from Key and Bennett’s mean-spirited policy, it’ll be everybody.”

The Wellington People’s Centre and it affiliates represent and support thousands of out of work New Zealanders every year.

ENDS

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