sickness benefit Archive

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  The Welfare Working Group and benefit cuts by stealth - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  The Welfare Working Group wants to force beneficiaries to work, but proposes to pay them less if they do so. At page 107 of the Welfare Working Group’s report (PDF) the Group proposes changes to benefit abatement – i.e. the way benefits are reduced in response to income earned by the beneficiary. Currently there are [...] read more
  March 12, 2011 7:45 am - 30 Comments
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  Employment inspiration in Mental Health Awareness Week - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  This morning I attended a very positive event in Thames hosted by the Like Minds Like Mine team from Te Korowai Hauora O Hauraki. It was a breakfast for employers to network with agencies like Workwise and Workbridge on the theme of the benefits of employing people with impairments. One of the town’s largest employers, [...] read more
  October 6, 2010 12:27 pm - 2 Comments
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  Beneficiary-bashing Bill back in Parliament, and worse than ever - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Paula Bennett’s draconian Social Assistance (Future Focus) Bill has been reported back to Parliament by the Social Services Select Committee.  Despite overwhelming opposition to the Bill by submitters, the National Party used its majority on the Select Committee to report it back largely unchanged. They even decided to recommend a harsher reduction of benefit regime for [...] read more
  July 31, 2010 5:11 pm - 85 Comments
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  Bennett’s unhelpful benefit cliches - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett made a speech recently at the National Party Regional Conference in Oamaru, in which she talked about how terrible it is for children to see their parents on a long-term benefit. I must experience a more complex universe than the Minister. The worst experience for a child is [...] read more
  May 31, 2010 3:42 pm - 19 Comments
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  An ACC model for welfare? No thanks - by frog

  
  
  
  Over the weekend, Social Development Minister raised the prospect of an ACC model for sickness and invalid’s benefits. My bet is that Bennett is talking about moving sickness and invalid’s benefits to the insurance model that ACC is increasingly becoming based on, rather than to a model based on the Woodhouse principle of complete rehabilitation that it was founded on. read more
  May 31, 2010 10:35 am - 5 Comments
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  Submit on the Social Assistance (Future Focus) Bill - by frog

  
  
  
  The Social Assistance (Future Focus) Bill has been referred to Parliament’s Social Services Select Committee for submissions. Metiria Turei and Catherine Delahunty have produced a submission guide to assist people wanting to make submissions opposing this Bill. The deadline for submissions is Friday 14 May 2010. read more
  April 13, 2010 2:27 pm - 6 Comments
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  Freda Frog meets Future Focus - by frog

  
  
  
  I have a cousin named Freda Frog. Freda is single, lives on her own, and suffers from a chronic illness, for which she gets a sickness benefit. Here’s a possible scenario she faces following Paula Bennett’s Future Focus welfare reforms: read more
  March 29, 2010 1:28 pm - 21 Comments
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  “Future Focus” welfare – dreaming of a kick in the pants - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  If you really want a “fresh look” at the system Paula, why not teach your staff how to explain what people are entitled to, rather than kicking them and their children in the pants and the pocket! read more
  March 29, 2010 11:11 am - 9 Comments
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  Drunk in charge of a sickness benefit - by frog

  
  
  
  No amount of work-testing is going to get people who cannot work because of alcohol or drug dependency back into the workforce. All that will do is make them feel harassed and more likely to sink deeper into the faux refuge of their dependency. read more
  March 19, 2010 8:17 am - 20 Comments
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  Lindsay Mitchell compares apples with oranges and goes bananas - by frog

  
  
  
  Beneficiary bashing blogger Lindsay Mitchell published a post last week in which she attempted to argue that many people on sickness and invalid’s benefits should be looking for work. She compared the current unemployment and sickness/invalid’s benefit figures with those in 1999, the last time unemployment was at its current level of 7.3%, and came [...] read more
  February 8, 2010 12:46 pm - 49 Comments
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  Choosing to be sick or invalid - by frog

  
  
  
  Despite people’s complaints when I write about social welfare benefits rather than environmental and conservation issues, it does seem to be the successful meme this week – with you readers making hundreds of comments on the topic. So, here’s one more. Toad and Jafapete have a good summary of the claim by the National Party [...] read more
  August 13, 2008 2:51 pm - 48 Comments
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  A week of g.blog - by frog

  
  
  
  Toad has found out that the National Party’s beneficiary policy is worse than I suggested this morning: They are not just going to work-test people on DPB, but also those on Invalid’s Benefit (qualification: “permanently and severely restricted in his or her capacity for work because of sickness, or because of injury or disability from [...] read more
  August 11, 2008 1:54 pm - 2 Comments