Benefit fraud numbers as cooked as Gang stats as cooked as unemployment numbers as cooked as crime stats

30
1

key rich prick

Benefit fraud numbers are out today and the headline screams $47m saved?

Really?

That number seems as cooked as todays Unemployment numbers which are as cooked as yesterdays ‘gang stats‘ which are as cooked as last months Crime stats.

Firstly to the Unemployment stats, and there is nothing to celebrate here. This Govcernment has simply left employment to the free market and washed their hands of responsibility, that’s why unemployment is still higher than when National took office. A point the Greens make today.

Statistics New Zealand also today released the Household Labour Force Survey which shows the unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent in the June quarter from a revised 5.9 percent in the March quarter but it is still well ahead of the 4.6 percent rate when National took office.

…5.6% isn’t a success, it’s an indictment on the so called economic stewardship of this Government, simply rebuilding from a natural disaster is not an economic plan.

The best part of the Household Labour Force Survey is their definition of ’employment’ as working at least one hour a week. That’s not much cause for triumphant claims of a Rock Star economy.

That gloss job pales however when you look at the way the benefit cuts are being promoted.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

The claim here is that they have cancelled 6900 benefits and saved $47 million. Really? Read down the article and you realise that they have wasted time making 4614 investigations, of which only half had been overpaid, most of that overpayment of course is the Department’s fault in the first place.

Of that 4614, only 350 were successfully prosecuted.

So where the hell does all this money they are claiming they have saved comes from? The Government hilariously claim it’s from future payments of their own overpayments! They are claiming $44.8million of their own incompetence as future savings, well that’s kind of them to do their job properly, but I’m not sure that really counts as anything more than attempting to generate ridiculous headlines that serve no other purpose than bennie bashing.

So really, all they got from 4614 investigations is $3million in overpayments. Ok, now tell us how much those investigations all cost?

So what the Government is actually saying is , “We’ve spent shitloads on intimidating and terrifying beneficiaries and only found half of those investigated had an overpayment, we aren’t really sure how much we’ve actually saved and we won’t point out the majority of overpayments are actually our own incompetence”.

This Government are in denial about poverty, inequality, climate change, manufacturing crisis and the well being of the economy. Let’s hope reality intrudes and pops that delusion on September 20th.

30 COMMENTS

  1. Oh, so when Labour are in power the stats are “correct”.
    When the Nats are in power the stats are “cooked”.

    This makes perfect left-wing logical sense.

    It’s just like when Hamas kill their own children, it’s ignored.
    When the IDF kill a child it’s a “war crime”.

    Perfectly consistent.

    • When Labour are in govt departments are well staffed, when National are in, they aren’t, with correct staffing levels comes better efficiency.
      The current situation sees govt departments understaffed and overworked.

    • Excellent point Rosie.
      We the public should start highlighting that all around the MSM.

      Get stuck into the tax cheats and tax fraudsters. Bet we’d see a lot of high profile names, and some from the rich list on that list!

      Opinion.

  2. After over 10 years in full-time employment in my profession, this year I had that fantastic experience of being ‘unemployed’. The approach of Work & Income is that you’re a benefit fraudster until you can prove otherwise, which makes for a real fun experience after years of paying tax and then actually needing some short-term government support, only to be treated like a lying bludger.

    • Think how disabled feel walking/wheeling into that place. Most have spent years looking for any kind of work, and are treated so condescendingly – it’s bloody criminal.

      • Yeah there’s no justice for all in this country anymore… Only for those who have power/status. Your right it’s criminal how people are being treated… Like second class citizens.

  3. My daughter receives a student allowance and her partner was on a winz course. When his course finished he reapplied for assistance, my daughter was also present at the interview. Her partner was mocked by the winz worker, she asked him what sort of job he expected to receive after finishing the course, he said he didnt know. He had a major head injury in his teens so it takes some time to process and answer questions, this ‘thing’ said ‘come on, come, what sort of job do you expect to get’!!!! When he said ‘winz put me on the course’ she told him he should have picked a better one, he told her, he had no choice, then she says ‘ I had no choice, I had no choice’!!!!! I am gutted that they spoke to my son in law like this. They were both bought up to be respectful and helpful! Needless to say they asked for and were denied food, and help with their rent. They were given another appt time for a week later, so if they still needed assistance they could ‘test their eligibility then’?????? This was3 weeks ago. Everytime they front up for their appt they are told to get something else, then something else, then something else! Me and My family help me by sending money or food to these two, thre is nothing they can do, winz has taught them tat they are powerless.

    • When he said ‘winz put me on the course’ she told him he should have picked a better one, he told her, he had no choice, then she says ‘ I had no choice, I had no choice’!!!!!

      Oh yeah, the arseholes do that. Tell you to go on the course and if you say that you didn’t have any choice about it they say that of course you do – except that if you don’t take the course you lose your income. I know, I had it happen to me and the only reason why I didn’t lose my benefit was because I was already on a course. Yeah, I got referred to another course while already on one and when I turned it down I got my benefit cut because I had a bad attitude.

      • Any activity forced and not paid for is slavery and slavery is illegal in NZ.Just remember that guys if they try and force anything on you.We are entitled to benefit relief.A course that you don’t to do paid or not is forced,if you do it in fear that you may starve if you don’t,that is a forced situation,WINZ and the NZ government have no rights to force anything.It is our human right to choose our job activity.Yes you may need a job,but you aren’t a slave and no one can prove otherwise, and any government that attempts to treat you as a piece their property is illegitimate!

    • That’s just plain disturbing that a employee of a government dept. conducted themselves like that. They should be made unemployed.

      • They should, but they are rewarded for not paying beneficiaries what they are entitled to. These people know neither compassion nor reason but wield life-deciding power dealing with those that are most vulnerable in our country. Disgraceful.

    • Kati, it’s a sorely learnt skill dealing with WINZ. Every unreasonable request must be met with an official challenge to their decision. When you request a application to challenge their decision they become incredibly compliant.

    • I can second everything you wrote. It is a disgrace how people are being treated, even if they are really the victims of a heartless and greedy Government that has failed to deliver the work it promised.

    • HI Kati, Winz have an series of hoops and obstacles for all “Clients” to receive a given benefit certain criteria are required to be achieved this can seem insurmountable at times luckily the MAPs (manuals and procedures system) is available on line. Here http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/manuals-and-procedures.html

      follow the paths and answer the questions for each benefit following the guides ( this is all the staff do fill in a computerised assessment form) . learn the process have the answers ready and you will acheive your (cl)aim. Good luck

      • The Manuals and Procedures have been changed in an ongoing fashion, and what was once contained in them has over recent years been removed, so they now only give some good, useful advice and guidelines.

        Also does it take a bit of searching and detective work to find the links to them on the WINZ website. Once they were easier to find, now that is more difficult, it seems.

        This is all not without reason, as the government and WINZ do not want to encourage too many clients to know how the WINZ staff are supposed to work.

        Just for some not so related info, I found this today:

        http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10359322/John-Key-says-booze-free-benefits-bulls

        At first sight I thought the PM was for once showing some sympathy with those on “benefits”, who may see a need to drown their sorrows with some occasional booze consumption.

        But I was misled by the headline, it is all about the PM and his own decision to fight the election sober, which may surprise some. He admits though, he feels no different without drinking. Perhaps he may start to understand why some questioned the agenda of “drug testing” beneficiaries, as it seems that policy has not brought about much change, yes indeed to have been nothing but bene bashing, to get public support for “harsh” measures, that were not even necessary.

  4. The unemployment rate fell 0.3% and the participation rate fell 0.3% In other words, if some people hadn’t stopped looking for work because they’re isn’t any available then the unemployment rate wouldn’t have fallen at all. And then, on top of that, we have…

    The employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points, to 65.0 per cent.

    Lower employment rate and lower participation rate would indicate that the 10,000 more employed is probably statistical error or due to the increase in population.

    of which only half had been overpaid, most of that overpayment of course is the Department’s fault in the first place.

    I think that when over payments are proved to be WINZ’s fault then the beneficiary gets to keep it with no obligation.

    • How do you know people stopped looking because ‘there isn’t any available’? More plausible is they stopped looking because they found a job!

      • Participation rate falling people leaving the workforce. There’s only two ways to leave the workforce – retirement and to stop looking for work while unemployed. If you get a job you’re still participating.

    • “I think that when over payments are proved to be WINZ’s fault then the beneficiary gets to keep it with no obligation.”

      Of course, like when you get overcharged by McDonalds you shouldn’t be allowed your money back.

  5. Kati, I am so sorry about what your daughter and son-in-law are going through, and your whole family as a consequence. Very best wishes, stories like these are yet another reason why WE HAVE TO WIN.

  6. Thank you all for your support. Its sad to see that our country has come to this, where withholding food or assistance is considered ‘good practise’. Where making people run around in pointless circles to produce information, is in my opinion a power trip, they could have been told at the beginning to produce the documentation required. My daughter and son in law realise that they are lucky to even have this avenue for assistance, and do not take this for granted. They like alot of couples starting out on their life together want jobs and want to be productive members of their communities.

    • Sorry used wrong login, the above comment was from me.
      @ brucethemoose, unfortunately this is common practise, the winz worker was talking in a normal voice in an open office, people could hear her, but nobody did anything. I had to laugh tho, my daughter told me one of the mini courses on offer was ‘how to build self esteem’ that about says it all

  7. Yes indeed Martyn, and well put.

    Also, where and how did they do this survey?

    How much money do WINZ spend on consultants and lawyers a year? Probably heaps more than the number quoted here, and probably much more went to them, than to the beneficiaries overall.

    And surely it can only be called fraud, if fraud was the legally defined outcome and conviction!

    And lets not forget the 21,000 that suddenly stopped getting their benefits because they went overseas for whatever reason.

    The govt stats are a rort alright. I expect they pay a Consultant Statistician 100s of thousands of dollars a year (plus the whole consultant agency contract) to simply pluck some mythical figure out of the air and write it onto a piece of paper.

    I will just produce a statistic for you:

    There are 60 absolutely self-serving ministers in our parliament. Tis a fact!

    Opinion.

  8. On the radio today. A supermarket in Harewa is closing, most stuff will be made redundant. KiwibankNZ have to let 80 staff go because of restructuring. Frontera have to let around 200 staff go.
    Rock economy-sink like a stone

  9. The newly released “benefit fraud” numbers are just another piece of propaganda presented by this government. The bulk of the cases will rather be over-payments due to some simply not reporting starting a job straight away, and claiming the dole for another couple of weeks, while they see whether the new job they may have will work out.

    Only one in ten of the supposed “fraudsters” were actually prosecuted in some form, as even the Minister revealed yesterday on a radio program! So they are exploiting distorted figures for their own political purposes.

    As for the economy and employment, there is a rather good and balanced article on employment, immigration and unemployment numbers in the present economic situation in New Zealand, that Brian Fallow wrote in the Herald:

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11305010

    “Brian Fallow: Jobs data sign of economic slowdown” is the title, and it gives a lot of reliable numbers and shows what is really behind the “Rockstar Economy” we have been sold.

    With the over-dependence on dairy exports (largely to China), sinking prices, and also other commodity prices dropping, New Zealand is heading for a new bust, after only a short boom. The only continued growth seems to come from the Christchurch and Canterbury rebuild, which is hardly an economic plan for the future.

    I have seen this happen again and again in this country, and these “booms” they talk about never really seem much of a “boom” in economic activity, as they never last long and turn into a bust. Having come back after a few years overseas in late 2005, relying on the enthusiastic reporting in the media of the great booming economy then, where there was high demand for skilled labour, I soon woke up to this going into bust, once the housing bubble busted, and once the GFC came, exposing all as just debt fueled growth on endless borrowing, backed up by inflated house values.

    The unemployment figures we get from MSD or WINZ are also not reliable, as they seem to be disconnected to the Household Labour Fource and other statistics.

    And despite of the difficulty that over 140,000 unemployed still have to find proper, available work, we have even WINZ continue to push for throwing more and more off welfare support and into casual and part time work, in many cases even no matter whether they are sick or disabled.

    By the way, look up AAAP’s website and Facebook site, and you will hear another story to the one the government tells us:

    http://aaap.org.nz/2014/08/05/aaap-mangere-impact-the-first-day/

    Also I have repeatedly come across this interesting info, showing what WINZ appear to be doing to put more pressure on beneficiaries with health issues, and even doctors issuing medical certificates:

    http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/16092-work-ability-assessments-done-for-work-and-income-%E2%80%93-partly-following-acc%E2%80%99s-approach-a-revealing-fact-study/

    http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/15188-medical-and-work-capability-assessments-based-on-the-bps-model-aimed-at-disentiteling-affected-from-welfare-benefits-and-acc-compo/

  10. @harry, I waded through the links you provided, It seems according to the mr whoever, the only impediment holding back ill, incapacitated or injured beneficiaries from working full or part time are their state of minds!!!!! Are they serious??? No wonder the were embraced and treated to the royal treatment by national. They are all truly revolting!

    • You are onto it, it is like a kind of “medical ideology”, science for sale, from UNUM Provident, a repeatedly convicted insurance corporation from the US, that had major input into UK welfare “reforms”, that then later hired the former Chief Medical Advisor of DWP in the UK, to develop some “research” fitting the agenda to kick sick and disabled off benefits.

      And Paula Bennett took advice from the same “experts”, for “investment approach” reasons.

      Add the rest together, and you know what that is all about. ACC had their Exit Strategy, to save money, WINZ have their own secretive “exit strategy” to save costs!

Comments are closed.