Thu. Dec 19th, 2024
christopher luxon latest

In recent years, our welfare system has gone from being a critical safety net for those in genuine need, to a long-term crutch for those capable of entering the workforce.
Our Government recognises this and is pushing ahead with plans to break the cycle of welfare dependency in this country by making sure people on benefits are taking the steps they need to get back on their feet.
We are making clear our expectation that those who can work, should be taking all reasonable steps to find a job, and those who do not will face consequences.
We will back those people who say they aren’t prepared to live a life on welfare and are willing to put their best foot forward in search of a job and a better life.
We will back job seekers who are willing and able to work with more support, more case managers, and more job coaches.
But we will not sit back and accept people who receive the Jobseeker benefit but refuse to hold up their obligation to seek a job. It is not fair on those hardworking Kiwis who get up early to open their shop or to milk the cows who are paying their taxes that go toward that benefit.
There are responsibilities that come with receiving a benefit. That’s why we recently launched a Traffic Light System that lets people on welfare know what is required of them to continue receiving a benefit and warns them when they are not meeting those expectations.
This is part of our Welfare that Works approach, which also includes a suite of new initiatives and changes to benefit settings that will come into effect next year.
We will be introducing a few non-financial sanctions that will be used the first time some beneficiaries fail an obligation. These include Money Management, which will see half a person’s benefit placed onto a payment card that can only be used in approved shops to buy essentials, such as food and clothes and Community Work Experience which will mean having to complete appropriate work experience for a specified duration of time before the sanction is lifted.
We will also be requiring those on Jobseeker Support to reapply every six months to have their benefit continue and we will be taking a harder line against those who repeatedly fail their obligations by extending the period where past failures count against them from one year to two years.
We are also making it mandatory for new job seekers to create a profile with their work experience, qualifications and job preferences before their benefit can be granted. This will allow MSD to have earlier work conversations and connect them to job vacancies straight away.
Our political opponents say we are punishing beneficiaries. But our Government is one that cares enough to not let generations of New Zealanders become dependent on their fellow citizens to get by rather than being self-supporting.
We want the best for Kiwis so they can have a better life for themselves and their families. We want to jobseekers being actively supported into work rather than getting stuck in the welfare system.
Employment is always going to offer New Zealanders and their families more opportunities being on a benefit ever will. This is why our Government has set an ambitious target to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support by 2030.
So, we will do everything we can to support people off welfare and into work – and ultimately, a better life for themselves and their families. -Hon Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand

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The Editor The Indian News

By The Editor The Indian News

Yugal Parashar, Editor, The Indian news

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