Bennett’s real ‘ambitions’ for DPB Mums exposed

new-zealand-labour-party

Wed Aug 19 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Bennett’s real ‘ambitions’ for DPB Mums exposed

Wednesday, 19 August 2009, 2:00 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

19 August 2009 Media Statement

The Government’s decision to turn down a second Labour bid for an inquiry into how sole parents on benefits can best be supported into work speaks volumes about its real ambitions, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Annette King.

“The Government today rejected my request for a parliamentary inquiry into the impact of the recent decision to reduce sole parents’ access to the Training Incentive Allowance (TIA) and a wider investigation into how they can best be supported into paid employment.

“The Government earlier rejected my bid for an inquiry into the effectiveness or otherwise of imposing work obligations on sole parents on the DPB once their youngest child turns six,” Annette Kings says.

“Given Social Development Minister Paula Bennett’s so-called commitment to supporting beneficiaries into paid work and ensuring DPB Mums are supported to make a better life for them and their children, I find these decisions astounding.

“It’s clear the Minister’s stated concerns about the ‘absolutely horrific debate’ generated by the last public discussion around the TIA cuts and beneficiary entitlements were nothing more than crocodile tears.

“She evidently prefers to continue her two-faced campaign of invoking beneficiary bashing, while pretending to be a champion of DPB Mums at the same time, rather than support the establishment of a proper inquiry to inform public debate.

“What is she afraid of? That the National Government’s so-called commitment to supporting beneficiaries into work will be exposed for the sham it is?

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“The Minister blatantly misled the public over the TIA cuts, by suggesting sole parents could ‘invest in their own future’ by increasing the size of their student loans to replace the lost allowance, when the rules explicitly prevent them from doing so.

“The Minister is yet to come clean on whether she is now moving to change student loan eligibility rules, so that sole parents are allowed to ‘invest’ in that future – which would of course also be an admission of how she botched the issue in the first place.

“This is just one of the reasons why a proper parliamentary inquiry into supporting beneficiaries into work is needed. My inquiry would have looked at international
experiences of barriers to getting beneficiaries back into work, successful initiatives, and the impacts on children of various policies,” Annette King says.

ENDS

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