The cruelty of this Government is boundless…
JobSeeker benefit cut after one missed appointment, former public servant says
One missed appointment is all it took for one former public servant to completely lose his JobSeeker benefit, taking weeks to be reinstated after he contacted WINZ.
The former public servant was on the JobSeeker benefit after losing his job in December said he missed an appointment at his local WINZ office two months ago.
He was surprised when the cuts to his benefit began shortly afterwards
“My benefit was reduced over an eight-week period, starting at 80%, then 50% for four weeks, and finally to zero for three weeks.”
Last week we had harsh new welfare sanctions announced alongside a total destruction of Disabled services all moved to be managed by the evil MSD.
All Louise Upston needed after that draconian welfare penalty announcement was a Coat and 101 Dalmatians.
Effectively if you fart, they throw you off welfare.
This is what our social policy has become now, a culture war revenge fantasy that is focused around punishment, sanctions and making getting welfare almost impossible. Throwing 50 000 beneficiaries off welfare into a rising unemployment rate is nothing more than social malice.
Why is the small government freedom party sitting like a ghoul on the shoulders of the poor – micromanaging what they can and can’t buy?
The majority of people who appeal a WINZ sanction win their appeal – if the sanction process was working properly, why are the majority appealing them winning? It’s not a social policy, these sanctions are a culture war revenge fantasy for your angry reactionary voters aren’t they?
– a letter to be printed
– it arriving in the mail
– book an appointment
– attend the appointment
– schedule an “activity”
– do the “activity”
– WINZ knowing you did the activity
all in 5 days or you face sanctions. How is that anything other than an obstacle course designed to fail you?
Why are we beating up on beneficiaries more than we are beating up on Banks, Supermarkets, Big Oil, Big Tobacco and Big Polluters???
The jackboot of the State should always be on the throats of the most powerful so that their interests don’t warp our Democracy, the jackboot of the State SHOULD NOT be used on citizens! How do you as a libertarian justify the jackboot of the state on the throats of the poor?
Let’s be clear, Carmel Sepuloni as Labour Welfare Minister was an abject failure.
She refused to implement all of the 42 key recommendations from the Welfare Expert Advisory Group, she threw 4000 disabled beneficiaries off welfare and most appallingly acquiesced to State Services to remove the Children’s Commissioner from overseeing Oranga Tamariki which will see vulnerable children in State care made even more vulnerable. We can lambast this hard right, racist, climate denying, beneficiary bashing, disabled abusing Government for these vile welfare sanctions, yet Labour whenever in power sticks to incremental nothings that do little to make the lives of the poor better!
Critics will say that Labour spend too much time listening to their Wellington mates like Dr Incremental Max Rashbrooke, who are constantly preaching incrementalism leading to watered down nothings of no use to any bugger so that when you call on the Poor to vote, they say, ‘how have you made my life anything more than marginally better” – will Labour actually have bold policy this election?
This former public servant sanctioned from welfare for missing 1 appointment deserved better.
We have a hard right, climate denying, racist, beneficiary bashing, disabled abusing Government hell bent on making things worse, not better!
The Right have turned our welfare safety net into a welfare noose!
The noose is getting tighter around the necks of this government ,even the right wing Maori bashing local government lobby have had a guts full of the two faced pricks.Luxon complaining about have a meeting in a conference center after it was John Keys national government that pushed the conference center barrow and spent millions at Christchurch and Sky city .
Hundreds of millions, even when everyone knew they were just another 2 white elephants thrown in to the herd.
Ah but this lot aren’t like the John Key lot.
They are actually Act and NZ First in drag.
Luxon is just the puppet with Seymour and Peters pulling the strings.
Did you notice that Seymour said Luxon was being rude by saying he wouldn’t support the Treaty Bill and then Winston comes out and says he thinks Luxon will change his mind. Luxon then comes out and says Maori ceded sovereignty to the crown in 1842.
Seems pretty orchestrated the the treaty bill will go ahead. They will stack the select committee and the submitters in their favour.
Better polish up the marching boots
Dont have to go back more than 2 years to see Luxon is the king of flip flop
Chch Convention Centre is fully booked for the next 2 years and is a great asset to tye city,Once the Stadium is built we will rock.All thanks to John Key vision
Why did the person in question miss their appointment?
Dear Bob the First
Have you ever dealt with MSD?
Here is an example: We are retirees( yes we are boomers). My wife needs to go overseas to help a sick relative.
As per regulation We tell MSD my wife will be absent from the country for about three months. We tell them the departure date. We tell them when she will return.
We actually tell them twice to make sure.
My wife leaves. Immediately our couple’s superannuation is halved. I ask why. ‘ Your partner left the country without informing us, ‘ is the reply.
I tell them of the letters and e-mails I sent a week before she left. ‘ It takes too long to process them in time.’ I am told. ‘ You should have telephoned. ‘
I point out that(a) for our present telephone call I had to wait nearly an hour before I could actually speak to someone. and (b) It takes a long time to process my e-mails and letters but they can stop payments immediately.
The answer to this is that payments are stopped by computer.
So Bob appointment is missed – payment is stopped- reason for missing appointment processed a week later(maybe).
Like the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland. “Verdict then trial’.
Now Bob MSD are having their staff reduced.
If they could not process information quickly when they were many, what will happen when there are less people to do it?
Letter inform, is that a corporation letter of intent. Phone, how personal, communicate, of course time will decide, our old new school, punishment.
Chch Convention Centre is fully booked for the next 2 years and is a great asset to tye city,Once the Stadium is built we will rock.All thanks to John Key vision
It is a sad indictment on society when a wealthy person who has never experienced hardship or going without in one form or another becomes an MP in a Government and a Political Party with especially a political party with a proven track record of being so completely Out of Touch With Reality to Not Know What Low Income NZers are having to deal with on a Daily Basis.
National has a Multi-millionaire of a leader who has NEVER experienced Hardship or having to living one week to the next with little or no income after the bills have been paid.
National haven’t exactly got an acceptable Track Record when it Comes to Being Human.
About the ONLY Human Quality ALL National(and lets Encompass NZ First and ACT MPs into this)Possess is the Human Quality of Greed, EGO and Looking Good In Front of the Camera.
No Amount of Verbal Word Salad on Their Parts Enhance them or rather Endower them with the ability to actually Think OutSide Of Themselves and Their Own Achievements.
It’s rather sad that three individuals have actually Demeaned Themselves So Badly because All In All They Have ONLY Thought about themselves rather than those that Stupidly voted for them in the last election.
I did not vote for Either because they All Possess the Aura of being Fake Individuals for Their OWN Set Agendas and Goals to Suit Themselves.
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