MSD forcing NGOs to nark on beneficiaries just the beginning

By
Martyn Bradbury
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7
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This is a tiny step towards good…

Data-for-funding plan undermined public confidence – Minister
Ms Sepuloni said the previous government’s attempt to demand personal information from welfare groups had undermined public confidence.

The data-for-funding model would have forced social agencies like Women’s Refuge to hand over names, birth dates and ethnicity of their vulnerable clients in return for funding.

Ms Sepuloni scrapped the data-for-funding proposal when she took office, but she said it caused a lot of damage.

“It was a failure and it caused a lot of distrust publicly and so it’s important that we have a discussion with the public, with the [non-governmental organisations] NGOs, with all of those affected on how we use information.”

…the mass surveillance state powers used against beneficiaries would be a nationwide abomination if anyone gave two shits about beneficiaries.

The problem isn’t just that MSD were threatening to cut funding to any NGO who didn’t hand over private personal details of those it helped, the problem has been that ever since National linked IRD with MSD with Housing NZ with etc etc etc, a beneficiary who had issues with one State agency now immediately gets tagged and served if they approach another state agency. This means the poor do everything in their power to now avoid all state agencies.

The neoliberal welfare agencies have countered this drop in anyone wanting to interact with their agencies with glossed over stats that suggest things are getting better when front line poverty agencies see a surge in demand.

The new Government are having to counter a culture wide hatred of beneficiaries driven by unionised work being destroyed. The 30 year neoliberal experiment killed off  worker rights so that when workers look at the pittance they manage to get paid each week, they glare at the welfare cheque with envy and that in turn sparks easily harvested anger.

The second challenge, particularly for the Greens and Labour ,is that they are too terrified of truly challenging the PSA by cutting out the toxic culture of sadism that pollutes these welfare agencies.

The National Party weaponised welfare agencies and it will take far more than these tiny steps by Labour to cut out the toxic culture.

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7 COMMENTS

    • A virus affecting a number of crops. Also a Public Service Association that acts in similar fashion

  2. Agree. The PSA are a shithouse union and Brendan Boyle has still got his job as ceo still at msd ffs!
    Carmel needs to up her game or else Im gunnah start harassing the cuzzie Henare to take her job as minister and she can have his as assistant min.because thats about the level of service she is giving.

  3. Not sure if Henare can do much better before we go there we need to see what the reviews come up with. The newly elected government need to take the time to see what they have what they don’t have they also need to consult with the people in MSD/Winz and the communities it will take time. I think people are expecting too much too soon better to be sure do it once and do it right, then put a long term plan in place with realistic achievable goals, timeframes that incorporates an evaluation process and use the review as template for ongoing improvement.

  4. The middle class would have a brain aneurism if the govt demanded their private information in return for state services like education, hospital visits, etc. But because welfare recipients and victims of violence are considered “less deserving”, and disempowered, govts and agencies feel they can coerce them to hand over private data.

    I wonder what would happen if the good people of Karori, Epsom, and Fendalton were told they must hand over their private data if little Johnny and Janey wants free dental care. Yeah, like that would ever happen. Because the good folk of Karori, Epsom, and Fendalton are privileged, moneyed, and empowered.

    This is the “egalitarian society” we now have.

  5. This new govt could change things if they wanted to but looking at their track record, keeping the CP-TPP and the abysmal 90 day employment law I doubt they really want to or even care, Its globalist, neo liberal business as usual.

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