. . . Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says a new Traffic Light System comes into effect today to inform people what is required of them to continue receiving a benefit under the current system and warn them when they are not meeting those expectations.
“There are responsibilities that come with receiving a benefit, and there will be no more excuses for job seekers not knowing what those responsibilities are.”
Cabinet has also agreed to progress a suite of new initiatives that will increase obligations and consequences for job seekers from early next year, including:
- Extending the period over which an obligation failure counts against a beneficiary from 12 months to two years
- Requiring Jobseeker Support recipients to reapply every six months
- Making it mandatory for all beneficiaries with work obligations to have a jobseeker profile before their benefit is granted
- A new money management sanction that will see half a person’s benefit go onto a payment card that can only be used for a limited range of essential products and services (fulfilling a National-ACT coalition commitment)
- A new community work experience sanction that will require beneficiaries to build their skills and confidence to help them get a job
“These changes come with increased support in the form of a new phone-based case management service for 4000 job seekers aged 18 to 24, and 2100 extra places for young people to get community job coaching,” Louise Upston says.
“Our welfare system will always be a safety net that catches people if they fall. But in the past few years it has become a drag net that has captured too many people who can work and allowed them to languish on Jobseeker Support for too long. . .
This has been met with criticism that this isn’t fair from the left.
What’s not fair about ensuring the right to a benefit comes with the responsibility for those who could be working to be doing all they should be to get a job?
What’s not fair about making those who don’t meet their responsibilities face consequences?
What isn’t fair is that working people, may with stretched budgets, are paying tax to support people who could work but won’t.
Given the dismal economic situation with businesses closing and subsequent job losses, there will be beneficiaries doing their utmost to find jobs and not being able to get one. As long as they can show they are doing everything they can to find employment they will continue to receive a benefit.
But even in the best of times, there are people who choose to be on a benefit even though they could be working. They can now choose to fulfil their responsibilities or be faced with consequences for not doing so.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
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