National's plan to introduce more sanctions and a "traffic light" system for Jobseeker beneficiaries, if it's elected, won't work and is "cruel", according to the Greens.
Christopher Luxon launched the new welfare policy this morning — suggesting that the "vast majority" of beneficiaries are already compliant with Jobseeker expectations, but that more unemployed people needed to get off the benefit and into jobs.
Reacting to the announcement, ACT's Karen Chhourr said welfare dependency was a big problem — agreeing with National. Her party has been signalled as National's preferred governing partner in any post-election coalition negotiations.
Jobseekers will also have to reapply for the benefit every six months. (Source: 1News)
Meanwhile, Chris Hipkins said the Labour Government commissioned a working group which suggested benefit sanctions don't work. He decried National's proposal.
"Harsher sanctions don't work. National's plan today would simply result in more children living in poverty, because that's what happened last time," he said.
"And this from a National Party that also wants to put thousands of people out of work right before Christmas — which is their stated intention."
He continued: "We're getting record numbers of people off benefits and into work. The National Party wants to sack all of the people who are involved in getting those people off benefits and into work.
"I actually think it's a good investment to invest in upskilling them, to invest in supporting them, into sustainable employment."
Hipkins added: "Overall, the Welfare Expert Working Group found that sanctions don't actually work in terms of a way of getting people off benefits and into work.
"I would note that the sanctions [the Labour Government has] removed, were the ones that were forcing children to live in poverty."
Green Party social development spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March said National's new policy was "cruel" and "dehumanising".
"When times are tough, people need support — not punitive hoops to jump through right when they're already struggling. Punishing people who are out of work will not magically create jobs," he said.
March continued: "It is cruel, ill-thought-out, and will endanger the well-being of thousands of people. The policy goes against our shared values of caring for each other.
"Evidence shows that benefit sanctions do not help people into work — and yet National is making the choice to use them, knowing full well it will cause harm.
"The National Party has a long history of dehumanising people who struggle to get by on a day-to-day basis. Today is just the latest example of how out of touch they are with the reality of daily life for many of the people they say they want to represent."
But the ACT Party's social development spokesperson Karen Chhour said the next government needed to tackle a "culture of welfare dependency".
"Welfare dependency has grown massively in New Zealand, there needs to be a rebalancing back towards obligations. The benefit is there to get people back on their feet, not to rely on," she said.
"Around four in ten beneficiaries have been on a work-ready Jobseeker benefit for one to five years. The real tragedy is that Labour's low expectations for beneficiaries is preventing them from creating a better life for themselves and their families.
"We need to have KPIs for public sector chief executives to hold them accountable. ACT's policy of setting KPIs for chief executives would mean that the boss at the Ministry for Social Development would need to make sure his organisation is getting people back to work, not just providing an administration service for handing out benefits."
She added: "The culture of welfare dependency is hurting New Zealand's productivity, with able Kiwis choosing to reside on a benefit rather than play their part in society and work.
"By doing this the Government is dancing around the real issues that the country faces.
"Instead of seeing benefits as the solution, the next government needs to get to the root of poverty by growing the economy and fixing our education system.
"Rather than locking so many New Zealanders into a cycle of poverty, ACT will bring real change with policies designed to grow the economy and allow more Kiwis to find work and create a better future for their families."
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