August 15, 2022
OPINION: Why National’s attack on young people on welfare is such a strategic blunder
OPINION: Why National’s attack on young people on welfare is such a strategic blunder
There are moments when politicians misread a room.
Simon Bridges did it when he was National leader at the very start of the pandemic when his criticism was felt to be beneath the mana of the moment in front of us.
I think Chis Luxon has made the same mistake with his bizarre attack last week towards young people on welfare.
Let’s be clear, we all want young people to have strong vibrant futures and good well paying jobs that are safe is the building block to the stability of that future, but that’s not what National are really offering with their welfare reforms.
As New Zealand struggles to regain its footing from the economic fallout caused by Covid, National have chosen this moment to threaten young people on welfare with sanctions and cutting their benefits.
Many of these young people on welfare are sick, ill or disabled. Threatening them with sanctions when everyone else is struggling is cruel and because so many people have recently had to rely on the Government for wages, I think the tone National has set is too harsh for the room.
People can’t see how cutting benefits now helps anyone.
What National are arguing for is a punitive privatization of welfare, where 3rd party contactors cut people off benefits if they don;t find a job fast enough.
This makes no sense whatsoever because the Labour Government already have an incredibly successful transition welfare program for young people called ‘Mana in Mahi’ where local community groups work with young people rather than threaten them to get a job.
Mana in Mahi has seen 5000 young people go through its programme and to date 90% have not gone back on welfare!
This is extraordinarily successful because the entire programme revolves around working with young people instead of cutting off their welfare which only exacerbates poverty and builds a direct motorway to a life of crime.
We want to support young people into work that works for them, we don’t want to threaten people into jobs that won’t work for them.
All Chris Luxon is trying to sell is the crack of the whip to an angry reactionary electorate who see all young people on the benefit as bludgers.
This is ugly politics.
Martyn Bradbury
Editor – TheDailyBlog.nz
twitter.com/CitizenBomber
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