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Sometimes a story appears that might be funny if only it were satire, welfare minister Paula Bennett's intention to “eat so much crayfish that I'm sick of it by the end of summer.” is one of those stories. New Zealand news website Stuff quoted the minister in a part of silly-season series of articles “spreading the Christmas joy with its top-tips and celebrity chat” (Paula Bennett is a celebrity, apparently) While Paula is enjoying her crayfish, many will be spending Christmas in poverty, thanks in part to her government's policies.
Policies such as abolishing the training allowance that allowed single parents on welfare to afford to study or up-skill. This came after Prime Minister John Key's now infamous quote that Domestic Purpose Beneficiaries are “breeding for a business”. Bennett's first major controversy came when she released the private information beneficiaries who had criticised the move, in an attempt to turn public opinion against the two women. This is not the first reform that seems to be counter productive if the goal is getting people into work, last year the government ended free physiotherapy, something that could allow people who have had accidents or injuries to return to work faster.
Other reforms saw the punishment of having your benefit cut in half introduced for those who can't find work. The National government is likely to bring in even more damaging reforms next year, provided they can pull it off without a slip in the polls, something of a disinformation campaign manufacturing a crisis in the welfare system has already begun. It will be a merry Christmas for some- like Paula Bennett with her piles of crayfish- and less so for others, like those on welfare.
