No More Excuses, Maharey

New information shows that Maori continue to be hugely over-represented in long-term unemployment statistics - so much for Labour's vaunted claim of uplifting Maori and `closing the gaps', ACT New Zealand Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman said today.

"According to answers to my written Parliamentary Questions, 7,615 Maori have been registered unemployed for more than four years - 490 of whom have been without a job for over a decade," Dr Newman said.

"In comparison, 7,315 pakeha - who make up a larger proportion of New Zealand's overall population by far - are in the same category, with only 377 having been out of work for more than 10 years.

"So where does that leave the Labour Government's pledges - not only to improve the Maori situation, but to also address long-term unemployment overall? Clearly these were not promises at all - merely PR exercises designed to placate a concerned public.

"This Government has U-turned on its promises so often that it probably doesn't even know which direction it's heading. But one thing is obvious: Labour is failing Maori, while pretending to help them.

"I am sick and tired of this Government's broken promises. Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey must stop spinning. He must explain, once and for all, just what he will do to ensure that Maori are not left to languish on the scrapheap of long-term unemployment," Dr Newman said.

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