Paltry benefit increase a mean April Fool’s joke: urgent rise needed

31 March 2015

From April 1 working age benefits will rise by 0.51%.

“This paltry increase is nothing more than a mean April Fool’s joke on the poor,” says Auckland Action Against Poverty spokesperson Sue Bradford. "Working age benefits must be lifted now to levels people can actually live on."

“The net weekly base rate for a single person on Jobseeker Support aged 25 or older will go up by an extra $1.07 per week - $55.64 per year.

“The base rate for a sole parent will go up by a princely $1.53 per week - $79.56 per year.

“The annual increase in working age benefits is linked to inflation, which is low at present.

“Tomorrow superannuation and veterans’ pensions will rise by 2.07%, in line with 66 % of the average wage.

“A single person on super will receive a $355.68 net weekly rate, contrasted with a single person on Jobseeker Support (25+) at $210.13 per week. 20-24 year olds are honoured with $175.10pw.

“This huge gap demonstrates just how far the chasm has grown between incomes deemed enough for our older citizens and those seen as sufficient for people who are unemployed, sick, injured, disabled and sole parents, who still have to eat, pay for housing and all other necessities of life.

“In recent years there have been endless reports and inquiries into issues around poverty and inequality, with even the conservative Maxim Institute calling today for better ways to define and measure poverty as a prerequisite of improved policy making.

“It is high time for National – and all political parties - to stop wringing their hands about child poverty and growing inequality and actually do something about the incomes of adults who are left destitute on a daily basis as a result of the desire to make the income gap between paid work and benefits as wide as possible.

“On Sunday Maori Party co leader Marama Fox appealed to National to lift benefits.

“Auckland Action Against Poverty supports her demand, and calls on all parties across Parliament to back urgent increases.

“Until benefits are lifted to amounts people can actually live on, poverty and inequality will deepen daily. This needs to happen now, not in two and a half years’ time – or longer.

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