Social security is for the good of all: Caritas submission to Welfare Working Group

New Zealand’s social welfare system is for the good of our whole society, as well as benefitting individuals in need at different times of their lives, Catholic social justice agency Caritas says in a submission to the government Welfare Working Group.

Responding to the Welfare Working Group’s Issues paper Long-Term Benefit Dependency: The Issues, Caritas says that whatever the form of our social security system, people in need of support because of old age, unemployment, illness, disability and care for dependent relatives need to be treated with respect for their innate human dignity. “This is currently not the case,” says Caritas in its submission.

Caritas welcomes the recognition of the negative aspects of joblessness, and the positive aspects of workforce participation. However, it criticises the Issues paper for giving insufficient attention to the complexities of the different reasons people are unable to find work, are unable to work or are excluded from the workforce. These include the policy-induced unemployment of recent decades of economic restructuring.

“The long-term consequences of poverty are well-outlined in the Welfare Working Group issues paper – our argument is that the paper takes the perspective that welfare receipt itself causes these consequences. Replacing one form of welfare assistance with another form of welfare assistance is unlikely to change these outcomes unless there is a willingness to address the structural causes of inequality, economic hardship and the low standard of living of many New Zealanders.”

Caritas recommends that the Catholic social teaching principles of Protection for the poor and vulnerable, Human dignity and the common good should also be key principles underlying New Zealand’s social welfare system.

Caritas Director Michael Smith says the Catholic agency for justice, peace and development agrees the welfare system is in need of reform, and is happy to participate in a public debate. However, Caritas has been deeply concerned by the narrow terms of reference given to the Welfare Working Group, the lack of representation by people with experience from the beneficiary side of the counter and the nature of anti-beneficiary rhetoric from politicians at the time of the establishment of the Welfare Working Group.

“This provided a context that made it extremely difficult for beneficiaries to be able to share their opinions and experiences ,” says Michael Smith. This led to Caritas being part of a Commissioning Group which established an Alternative Welfare Working Group, which is running a parallel consultation, submission and report writing process.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 165 Catholic aid, development and social justice agencies active in over 200 countries and territories.

ENDS

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