Labour leader Chris Hipkins is distancing himself from comments made by one of his MPs, Greg O’Connor, who suggested that sanctions for young beneficiaries might be a “good idea.”

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Labour has been critical of the Government’s increased use of benefit sanctions, calling it “callous” and accusing them of “picking on” people who are already struggling. However, Greg O’Connor, the Labour MP for Ōhāriu, has expressed a different view. Over the past week, O’Connor has stated twice that he believes sanctions for young jobseekers, especially those under the age of 21, could be justified.

On “The Working Group” podcast, O’Connor said, “I think sanctions are not necessarily a bad thing, especially for those under 21.” He repeated this sentiment a couple of days later on Newstalk ZB, saying, “For young people, particularly teenagers just entering the workforce, sanctions can be a good idea.”

When asked by Stuff whether he agreed with O’Connor’s views on sanctions for young beneficiaries, Chris Hipkins made it clear that he did not share the same perspective. “That’s not necessarily a comment I would make,” Hipkins said. “I think sanctions should be the last resort. I’m not saying there’s no place for them at all, but we should focus more on positive ways to encourage people to get off benefits.”

Hipkins added that he plans to talk to O’Connor about his remarks.

In his interviews, O’Connor also touched on how the demographic of benefit recipients is changing. He noted that the people receiving benefits now are not the same as those who did 12 months ago. “Our dole queues look very different today,” he said. “People often have stereotypes about who is on a benefit, but the reality is there are many good people who need support.”