Welfare for sole mothers is one such problem.
In the six years between 2017 and 2023 there were five things Labour changed under PM Ardern and MSD Minister Sepuloni:
1/ Child support payments previously kept by Treasury to offset sole parent benefits were passed directly on to the custodial parent
2/ The penalty for not naming a liable parent (usually the father) was abolished
3/ The requirement to face work-testing one year after a subsequent child was added to an existing benefit was abolished
4/ Best Start - a substantial additional weekly payment for 0-2 year-olds - was introduced
5/ After adjusting for inflation increased incomes for sole parents with two or more children by 48 percent
Not one of these policies has been reversed.
They all encourage single parenthood as a lifestyle. And National appears to be on board.
On the back of these changes the number of children dependent on a sole parent benefit has risen 37 percent from 117,471 to 160,653 (June 2017 and 2025 quarters). These numbers do not include those children older than 13 whose sole parent has been moved to a Jobseeker benefit.
The facts are that children of benefit-dependent sole mothers are far more likely to suffer abuse and neglect; educational under-achievement; ill health; poverty; transience and become known to Oranga Tamariki and Corrections. And perhaps most worryingly, to become state-dependent single parents themselves perpetuating the sorry cycle.
Armed with this knowledge, politicians should be designing policy that discourages females from becoming sole parents in the first place and, especially, from further adding to their families.
The last Labour government did the very opposite and National, it turns out, is no better.
Lindsay Mitchell is a welfare commentator who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
The facts are that children of benefit-dependent sole mothers are far more likely to suffer abuse and neglect; educational under-achievement; ill health; poverty; transience and become known to Oranga Tamariki and Corrections. And perhaps most worryingly, to become state-dependent single parents themselves perpetuating the sorry cycle.
Armed with this knowledge, politicians should be designing policy that discourages females from becoming sole parents in the first place and, especially, from further adding to their families.
The last Labour government did the very opposite and National, it turns out, is no better.
Lindsay Mitchell is a welfare commentator who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
8 comments:
Clawing back the excessive welfare payments is what Jenny Shipley did a generation ago. Despite protests and complaints about "poverty" from the media, woke academics and social workers, it was noticeable that neither Helen Clarke nor John Key reversed those reforms. But then along came Jacinda and Sepuloni.
I see Lindsay, so....
- Reduce crime
- Tame inflation
- Restore economic growth
- Lift productivity
- Restore school attendance and results
- Reduce interest rates
- Fund and build infrastructure
- Quell house price and rent growth
- Negotiate and sign real trade agreements (unlike the eu trade agreement where Labour played all the cards to Europe resulting in our trade deficit with Europe troughing significantly)
- Tourism numbers up significantly following a successful advertising campaign in Australia.
Isn't enough for you in 18 months Lindsay?
I did predict Nationals intention to dissolve the ridiculous supermarket, building supply, and electricity cartels...
Would trigger super profits being channeled into a deluge of nonsensical "pen for hire" National Party abuse.
Now.. if only Luxon would put a competent minister in charge of the cartel project.
I agree with you Lindsay. Let us hope this is on the coalition's list of to dos.
Balanced - but not a single word from Luxon about dealing with the huge race issue - the issue that is dragging NZ into a non democratic Third World.
Does Luxon ever intend doing anything about it ?
The answer appears to be "no", therefore all the items you list are negated by the exodus of NZers leaving for a stable country.
So, please tell me where is this stable Country? AU has big issues under Liebor (just like Liebour here without the 'u'), the UK is in the pooh with out of control immigration and Liebour (with the same 'u'). Stability everywhere is under attack by Marxism. Luxon could break the curse but first one has to understand the problem for what it is and then deal with the root cause and he has no idea about what that is or how to address it. So yes, all the good work by the coalition will come to nought and growth will be a pipe-dream. I'll give him a clue to start him off, kill the gravy train, put the Waitangi Tribunal back in its box and get rid of the Maori seats.
ahhh... the old race card again. much favoured by Labour spin doctors because besides the cost of a kg of butter (olive oil is better for you), its all theyve got to gee up their supporters.
never mind that surveys show nzers don't give arats about the race issues.
never mind that John Tamahere and Rawiri Waititi are complaining about the mass removal of maori mumbo jumbo and maori "rights".
so, despite scientific data showing no-one cares....
keep beating your pathetic drum whilst Luxon gets on with fixing the country and gaining more support for his next election win.
Lindsay is providing info on a really serious issue here. The ability of solo mum’s to receive housing and money for producing kids willy nilly lies at the heart of our appalling stats on child abuse and infanticide. The incentives are all wrong. Change the incentives and we’ll change the outcomes. These young women and their offspring are no where near leading their best lives. We’re not helping them. We’re failing them.
I would like to see Balanced's survey that shows that NZers don't care about race.
Curious to see the wording - does it ask if they prefer a democracy, or an ethnocracy ?
One vote for all ?
What items in He Puapua do they agree with ?
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