Jones eyes benefit stick for jobless

NZ First minister wants welfare payments cut if beneficiaries refuse to join his new work programme

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones wants welfare payments to be cut if beneficiaries refuse to take part in his new government work programme, which will look to plant trees and build up a railway network for tourists.

Jones will take four projects to Cabinet for his Working For Your Country scheme before Christmas, which will give beneficiaries a chance to work for at least the minimum wage in industries such as tree planting, riparian planting or regional railway development.

To plant one billion trees, deliver on riparian planting and prepare a workforce for recapitalising the railways, “the ne’er-do-well nephs will be required to take those jobs,” Jones told the Herald. “If they are unwilling, then I will spend every thinking and waking moment ensuring they do not fall back on the dole . . . while the rest of us are out there working.”

Jones stressed that his preference of removing welfare entitlement still needed to be endorsed by Cabinet.

“I’m only saying this as the Regional Development Minister. But an opportunity will be made available for entry-level work. There is no option to refuse that work and then lay around on a Harley Davidson bike and still getting the dole.

“If you don’t believe it’s happening, come with me to Kaikohe.”

The programmes would keep young men out of gangs, and give gang members as well as former prisoners an opportunity to get their lives back on track, he said.

Jones, who has been toying with Work for the Dole-type schemes, said regional leaders were imploring him to use his $1 billion regional development fund to kick-start projects.

“The mayor of Wairoa wants to get cracking right now to reconnect Wairoa to Napier in terms of railways.

“[It’s] not only for freight. Railway tourism offers one untapped opportunity.”

A riparian-planting programme would partner the Crown with NGOs, but other programmes could partner with the private sector, he said.

Funding could come from a $60 million NEETS (Not in Employment Education or Training) fund never used by the previous Government, or from the regional development fund.

Auckland Action Against Poverty said Work for the Dole-type schemes were open to abuse.

Co-ordinator Vanessa Cole said the work scheme would push people into temporary work with insecure hours, while employers had access to cheap labour and could avoid paying real wages and hiring full-time staff.

National’s regional development spokesman, Simon Bridges, said Jones was “talking a big game”, but his plans would divide the coalition.

“Work for the Dole is anathema to the Labour-Greens. If anything they want to reduce welfare obligations to be available for work.”

He said Jones was also driving a wedge between NZ First and the Greens by pushing for mining, gas and irrigation for the regions, which the Greens oppose.

Greens co-leader James Shaw did not respond to a comment request.

Jones said the regional fund could support small-scale irrigation projects, even though the Labour-Greens confidence and supply agreement has a provision to “wind down Government support for irrigation”.

The fund would not support largescale irrigation, such as the failed Ruataniwha project in Hawke’s Bay, but small-scale ones could help areas where agriculture will suffer from the drought effects of climate change.

Any proposal would have to pass an environmental and sustainability threshold, Jones said.

The fund would not be used for gas exploration. He said gas should play a role, but the money would have to come from the private sector.