Govt sells out 280,000 low-income families

Today in Parliament we saw the sort of discrimination that we haven't seen in New Zealand for years, National's Housing spokesman Tony Ryall said today.

"The Income-Related Rents legislation is the most discriminatory and unfair piece of legislation I have ever seen. From 1 December this year 280,000 low-income people will be discriminated against simply because they don't live in a State house.

"Official papers predict that we will see low-income families forced in to worse houses simply to move up the waiting list to get a State house. We don't need families resorting to this sort of desperation. The policy should be fair to all families, not just those in State houses.

"We'll see fewer low-income people striving to own their own homes and to get work or upskill for fear of losing their entitlement to an income-related rent.

"National believes that targeted assistance to everyone in genuine need, whether they rent from a private landlord or from the State, is a much fairer system.

"For the 41,000 people that benefit, 280,000 New Zealanders will miss out because they have the wrong landlord.

"The Government is constantly harping on about closing the gaps, but its ill-conceived housing policy will do anything but," Mr Ryall said.

Ends

© Scoop Media