Roger Partridge: The outrage economy

New Zealand’s fastest-growing sector isn’t tourism, dairy, or technology. It’s outrage. Measured in press releases, moral indignation must employ more people than the public service and the productive sector combined.

Sunday’s welfare announcement will ensure another strong quarter. The Government’s proposal is straightforward: restrict Jobseeker payments for 18- and 19-year-olds to those from low-income families. It will also offer a $1,000 bonus for staying in work for a full year. The stated goal: spare young people from what modelling suggests will be an average of 18 years on welfare over their lifetimes if they enter the system before 25.