Government sneaks in brutal attack on Sole Parent Renters with Boarders

Labour accuses govt of trying to avoid scrutiny by passing bill under urgency

A post-Budget debate about changes to an accommodation supplement unusually dragged on into the early hours of Saturday morning, as opposition parties tried in vain to block the changes.

The House sat under urgency to debate a dozen bills, when a vote on the Social Assistance Legislation (Accommodation Supplement and Income-related Rent) Amendment Bill was called at about 11.30pm.

Usually, Parliament would not sit beyond midnight, but once a vote commences, it cannot stop without leave. That leave was sought by Labour MP Kieran McAnulty, but denied by government MPs.

Instead, opposition parties filed dozens of minor amendments, dragging out the proceedings. McAnulty accused the government of trying to avoid scrutiny by passing the bill under urgency.

“There’s no reason for this bill to go through under urgency, it’s got nothing to do with the Budget really,” he told RNZ. “They are going to try and save money from this bill to fill the gaps in their Budget.

“It should go to select committee and New Zealanders should have an opportunity to have their say.”

“We saw this with the Pay Equity Bill recently and now they’re doing it with this bill as well, and we oppose it. Many New Zealanders don’t know it’s happening, because it’s getting rushed through.”

Under the change, every boarder a person has will be taken into account, when their accommodation supplement is calculated by Work and Income. Currently, only those with three or more boarders have their supplement reduced.

McAnulty said more than 7000 people would be affected by the changes, which would reduce subsidies by roughly $100 a week.

How spiteful is this Government?

They are ramming through under urgency legislation originally set up to try and help Sole Parents with housing costs by allowing them 2 Boarders to help pay the rent.

These changes will force Sole Parents who have Boarders to now include their share of the rent in their own housing allowance calculations meaning those sole parents (or head tenants) who have 1 or 2 Boarders will lose $100 a week in their own housing allowance!

It is such a spiteful and brutal thing to do to Renters who have a Boarder to help cover costs, these people are not rolling in cash, they are just keeping their heads above water.

National are so desperate to take money from the poor to fund the rich, they are coming after sole parent renters who have a Boarder!

National take today what tomorrow never brings.

At some point, you as Kiwis, you as Egalitarians, you as the children of Universal Suffrage, Nucle free, the 40 hour working week, surely you will get off your knees for the corporations and the rich and stand against this obscenity of. government.

Surely you haven’t been so manipulated by your post-Covid bitterness that you are now slaves to the rich?

Who are you Kiwi?

Get off your knees in servitude to the rich.

Rise Kiwi.

Rise.

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