Parties blast relief payment

IT is not often the Greens and National see eye to eye on welfare, but both are critical of the Government’s new relief payment for some unemployed.

The Government announced on Monday a payment for those who had lost their jobs due to Covid19, while they find new employment or retrain.

It will pay $490 a week for those who lost fulltime work since March 1, $250 for parttime workers, and will not be taxed.

That compares with a maximum $250 — taxed — for people over 25 on the existing Jobseeker benefit.

National Party social development spokeswoman Louise Upston said it was challenging to live off the Jobseeker benefit, but questioned the introduction of a different payment.

‘‘Why would you introduce a complex, clumsy system that then makes it really unfair?

‘‘If someone lost their job in the middle of February for example, they would then be getting paid half the amount that someone would be on this new income support, which is clearly unfair,’’ she said.

The comments echo the sentiments of Green Party coleader Marama Davidson, who said Labour had failed to uphold a key element of the parties’ post election agreement.

Ms Davidson said she had heard the frustration of beneficiaries who felt they had been deemed the ‘‘undeserving poor’’ by the latest move.

The payment was a ‘‘very clear’’ admission that base benefit rates were not enough to live on, and she was ‘‘not satisfied’’ Labour’s confidence and supply agreement promise to overhaul the welfare system had been fulfilled.

The disparity has also been criticised by welfare advocates.

‘‘The benefit is simply not enough to survive on,’’ beneficiary advocate Kay Brereton said.

‘‘It acknowledges that by setting the rate at almost twice the rate that someone can get on a single rate of jobseeker.

‘‘It is galling,’’ she said of the difference between the two payments.

Council of Christian Social Services secretariat Trevor McGlinchey said the new, more generous payment should be extended to all unemployed.

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the Government was still committed to welfare overhaul and she did not want to mix the two issues.

She said the Greens supported the jobloss coverage policy.

‘‘They want more to happen with the overhaul and of course income adequacy is still on their agenda and it’s still on ours as well,’’ she said. — RNZ