The Government were busy this week patting themselves on the back for their report card that supposedly showed their draconian welfare reforms are working and that all is well in NZ.
It is essential that this Government is perceived by the middle classes as moderate. This point was illuminated on last weeks Q&A on TV One when Dr Raymond Miller chastised Deborah Russell on the panel for not understanding how moderate the National Party is.
For the middle classes and those like the good Dr who live in the leafy suburbs of Auckland, this Government are moderate. Middle Class tax cuts like Working For Families, interest free loans so their darlings can get law degrees, no real capital gains tax and a speculative property bubble that is earning them more in house valuations going up each year than their actual job means life has never been more splendid for the middle classes, of course if you are working for minimum wage, are a beneficiary, had to pay for your own education – this Government are inflicting cruel and unusual torture upon you. The media however never ask those people to front political panel discussions, hence the good Dr gets to trumpet on about how moderate the Government are and thus the myth goes unchallenged.
The reality is that our inequality is getting worse…
Despite what you hear, inequality has risen in New Zealand
Observant New Zealanders, who have noticed the number of children with poverty-related skin diseases soaring while gated communities proliferate, may be surprised to hear a think-tank claim that New Zealand has ‘no problem of rising inequality’. That surprise would be justified, since the gap between rich and poor has in fact widened dramatically. And the damage that has been done in the process is something we should urgently address, not sweep under the carpet.
The New Zealand Initiative’s claim that there is no problem is based on a Treasury paper showing that income inequality has been stable for the last decade. And indeed it has, thanks to Working for Families propping up low incomes and the global financial crisis temporarily biting into higher ones (through, for example, lower stockmarket returns).
But what this selective reading omits is the fact that in the two decades from the mid-1980s on, the rich-poor divide widened faster in New Zealand than in any other developed country. Incomes for the richest New Zealanders have doubled, while those for the poorest have barely risen (and, after housing costs, have actually fallen over 30 years). That change has altered New Zealand society profoundly.
In a system where income goes disproportionately to the already well-off, ordinary workers are missing out on the rewards of their efforts, to the tune of billions of dollars a year. Welfare benefits, cut by a quarter in 1991 and increased just 8 per cent in the last budget, are far too low to meet people’s basic needs.
…Child abuse isn’t getting better…
Increase in child abuse numbers ‘dreadful’
The Government’s latest report card for the public service shows an increase in the number of children and young people being assaulted – a trend that Labour describes as “dreadful”.One of National’s 10 targets for the public service was to reduce the number of children being abused by 5 per cent, to approximately 3000 children, before 2017.
An update released this week showed that 3144 children were physically abused in the year to March, compared to 3111 the previous year.
…and as for beneficiaries, well, they are terrified…
Beneficiaries ‘scared stiff’ of Work and Income
New Zealand’s social welfare system “dehumanises” people in need, with beneficiaries described as “scared stiff” of Work and Income case managers, a report says.A Canterbury Community Law (CCL) investigation, which looked at access to justice for beneficiaries, said beneficiaries felt they were treated as “non-humans” by Work and Income – not even allowed access to toilets during lengthy waits at offices.
Fear was at a level where people were forgoing entitlements from Work and Income, instead going to non-government organisation’s food banks, or the Mayor’s Welfare Fund because of previous negative experiences, the report said.
…so the Government’s policy has been to make the process so terrifying for beneficiaries that they are either too frightened to reapply or they are completely confused by the process…
Unemployed losing the paper war in reapplying for the benefits, says Labour
Vulnerable groups of unemployed people are being lost in a sea of complicated paperwork and having their benefits cut, says Labour.Insufficient data was also allowing the Government to boost its welfare figures, while washing its hands of a large group of people, said Labour’s social development spokeswoman Carmel Sepuloni.
…and how needlessly confusing is the paper work? Di you know that the unemployment benefit is 73 pages long?
Here it is…
.
.
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…so a culture of fear and paper work purposely confusing it deters people from applying is, according to the good Dr Raymond Miller, ‘moderate’.
73 pages? Wow. But I guess it’s not like they have anything more important to do, do they? Unless of course there is something good on sky sports…..
Yeah, they operate on the theory that if you make the wall high enough, top it with iron spikes and barbed wire, and then electrify it — no one will have the will or the energy to attempt to scale it.
Sadly, in a lot of instances, this theory is proven correct.
We know well just who has had to pay (and is paying) for the Government books to look superficially okay! The books darn well should look reasonable following all the demonic policies and cuts on the vulnerable.
The Govt’s policy to make things look swell is borrow, borrow, borrow. NZ National Debt up from 10 billion in 2008 to today’s mind-blowing figure of 98 billion. Okay, Greece, Italy Spain, Portugal, Ireland, don’t feel alone here we come!
Who the fuck is Dr Raymond Miller?
I’ve never heard of him.
Sounds like a right git anyway…
He’s a lovely man. And anyone who disagrees with his assessment of National and our current political landscape is obviously ignorant. He lectures at Auckland University, so he must know what he’s talking about, right?
http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/people/rmil011
Or he could just be another apologist for a government that seems to get its jollies from perpetuating misery and hopelessness for anyone who doesn’t live in the more affluent suburbs of Auckland.
Thank you Mr Verynicecheeseindeed. That actually explains a lot, seeing as universities have sold out their independence in pursuit of neolib gold chests…
Just ignore Dr Miller, he is nothing.
Miller is a toadie and lickspittle of the corporate management that runs AU, having sucked arse on his superiors in order to get his promotions and having betrayed his erstwhile colleagues while doing so (among other things by supplying confidential information on “troublemakers” to the bosses). His so-called published works are crony compilations that offer little insight on anything in the real world of politics. And he is married into money (he and Mike Hoskings are connected via these ties).
He is also a bit of a lech, but that is the least of his flaws. He is a dishonest, unethical creep who sucks up to power at very opportunity. Good on Bomber for calling him out.
I agree. Max Keiser thinks that Miller is an idiot and focused on him for just a moment on one of his shows on rt.com.
Great commentary on Dr Raymond Miller’s inaccurate perception of this Government and the effects of their policies on the most vulnerable members of society.
I was talking with a friend the other day who worked for a certain Goverment department during 1990s under the National Government. He had a meeting with a certain high profile public servant, who had been tasked with making a benefit application form more complicated, to deter people from applying.
When will people wake up to the treachery, lack of intergrity and moral bankruptcy of this Government?!
Just as soon as they wake up to the fact that the same creep who pulls ponytails and doesn’t get done for common assault is the same perv who gets away with the TTPA , tax cuts for the rich , and smear campaigns against political opponents run out of his orifice.
That’s when.
And the carpetbagger who was sent from afar to sell our birth right to his foreign mates in the Bilderberg “Club”?
As the same “Club” are trying to do the same to Greece another small unprotected weak governed country, of now that makes sense doesn’t it.
FJK the traitor.
Yup, 73 pages… The Benefit application itself was 26 pages (I hear it’s even more pages now.) The remainder are all add-on application forms and suchlike.
73 pages… I should know. It took me an entire evening to scan the bloody things…
Wasn’t it National who were forever crapping on about Labour’s penchant for needless, bloated bureaucracy? Appparently, 73 pages of bollocks just to get enough money to feed your kids and pay the rent is fine when they do it. Funny how that works.
also some of the questions are phrased so you don’t know if you should tick yes or no
.. as a beneficiary I am all too aware of the crap one has to go through .. and yesterday received a letter stating I need to reapply and complete a reapplication and comprehensive work assessment online… good luck if you can’t afford online access.. or a computer..
– and WINZ reorganises itself so that when you have a case manager who understans your situation, they are shuffled around to deal with another area.
I could go on.. and no doubt so can loads of others. Beneficiaries are people too.. and need our societys support, not to be treated as pariahs.
Yes & FJK is dragging us into this repackaged as TPPA with many more job loss’s and lower wages.
http://rt.com/shows/documentary/252665-eu-usa-trade-agreement/
Since the EU and USA have been involved in secret negotiations regarding a free trade agreement, criticism of the project has not ceased. The citizens and their elected representatives in the EU parliament feel deprived of their democratic rights. It is feared that in order to come to a deal with the Americans, the EU Commission might sacrifice important regulations and consumer rights in the name of free trade. But where do the differences actually lie between Europe and the United States? Are US citizens really less protected against the interests of large corporations than Europeans? What is the situation regarding GM food and how about data protection? ‘TTIP – Business Without Limits’ looks for answers to these fascinating questions.
Don’t worry – NESARA – on its way 😀 Slightly delayed by false flag events such as the rampaging killer ants marching across the Middle East but they have been deliberately let loose to distract and (the ones in the dark hope) cause major disruption in Europe.
Nesara – Look it up – well worth investing time in understanding.
The Dark Players know their time is running awfully short!
I can beat all these winz stories. Not too many years ago I arrived at the Waitakere, Henderson branch for my 9:30am appointment I did not request to find a small crowd outside the building. There was a security guard at the door (wisely behind it) telling everyone that the office was closed because they’d gone away on a two-day team building
jollycourse and failed to notify Wellington. Nobody was pleased though this was no fault of the poor bloke. As a result, I was cut off entirely (the days before the 50% reduction) for ‘failing to appear’.After that I came in one day at their request to start a new jobseeking club because it was my fault I wasn’t getting at least two interviews per week (I don’t even get sod off letters from applications). After setting it up and being told to start the next day I went to the room to get a jump on it by looking at the job board (long ago) only to hear the bellow from a woman across the cavernous room “WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU NEXT DOOR?” After jumping violently and establishing (a’la Han solo – pointing) that it was me being yelled at I mumbled “To come in tomorrow but I thought I’d just look at the board.” I was summoned to her desk where she proceeded to get my details and establish a stand-down period of no money whatsoever and continued jobseeking. After 40-odd weeks of desperately trying to survive on Mum’s minimum wages I was persuaded to go in again and find out if I could re-apply, where I found one of three brilliant case managers there (recently retired now) and discovered that there was a maximum 26 weeks I could possibly be stood down in law, had an (under duress) apology from the offending party and was backdated (to the end of the 26 weeks) – which all went on my seriously late HNZ rent.
There are many more stories like this but I did one phone up to book an appointment and, when asked which branch it was for and answering “Waitakere” heard, “oh, them.” Then found out it is known in Head Office as the worst office in the country! A fact re-inforced when I now have to pay back over $200 of a non-recoverable loan for the correct gear for a free-labour period at Mitre 10 where I didn’t get the job. Nobody else at the private job club I was attending has to – just me. Alone in the nation.
No joke – on Max Keiser’s show (rt.com) once awhile back he had a clip of Dr. Raymond MIller and Max was making fun of what an idiot he was by what he said. He showed a very short clip if Dr. Miller when he was on the Q & A show. I should have made note of it as to when it was and shared it but I just forgot until I read this piece of yours and thought you may want to hear that. I feel that Dr. Miller is a blow hard and not worth hearing or listening to. Then what Max Keiser said about him just confirmed our feelings about Miller. If I can find that episode, I will share it here on another comment.
[…] put aside the fact that many of these Beneficiaries are being disqualified automatically or for any excuse WINZ can concoct and that the p…, the simple screaming point is that half of those kicked off Welfare go onto no […]
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