Friedmanite Fringe Now Influencing Govt Welfare Policy

Any group tasked with looking at welfare in New Zealand needs to have significant input from those who work with beneficiaries, said Green Party unemployment spokesperson Catherine Delahunty.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett announced yesterday that a Welfare Working Group has been set up and that this group will be chaired by former Commerce Commission chairwoman Paula Rebstock. Also involved in the working group will be a number of academics and the former president of the ACT Party Ms Catherine Isaac (formerly Judd).

“The just announced welfare working group lacks the diversity needed to fully understand the issues facing beneficiaries in New Zealand,” said Ms Delahunty.

“The inclusion of a former ACT Party president on the working group and the announcement that one of the advisors to the welfare group was associated with the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) is of concern.

“The only advice a former advisor from the Milton Friedman worshipping CIS is likely to give is to cut back and privatise,” said Ms Delahunty.

In 2004 while Ms Isaac (formerly Judd) was President the ACT Party organised a welfare symposium that advocated implementing the hard-line Wisconsin welfare reforms into New Zealand. Wisconsin introduced time limits on welfare in the 1990s.

“There is a small fringe of politicians and lobbyists such as the Business Roundtable and the Centre or Independent Studies, who want New Zealand to privatise our welfare system.

“Now it appears two advocates of this hardcore free-market group will be advising the Government how to go about this,” said Ms Delahunty.

“If we want the kind of welfare policies Canada and the United States have implemented then New Zealanders better get used to tripping over beggars on the streets of our major cities.”

Ms Delahunty considers that the Welfare Working Group must be expanded to include experts from the Child Poverty Action Group and beneficiary advocacy groups.

ENDS

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