“Now is the time for National to wake up and realise that there are far more productive and compassionate ways of dealing with unemployment and poverty than its current toxic mixture of disentitlement and punishment.

Figures out today show that unemployment has grown by 10.5% over the past year.

 “With over 150,000 people unemployed and 270,000 jobless, it is heartless to continue to invest so much of Work and Income’s resources into harassing sole parents of young babies, and the sick, injured and disabled into paid work,” says AAAP spokesperson Sue Bradford.

 “Government is due to introduce a rewrite of the Social Security Act into Parliament next month.

 “This is a golden opportunity for National to reconsider the entire thrust of its punitive and pointless welfare strategy.

 “MSD should focus on supporting unemployed people into decent work rather than cutting the benefits of sole parents and sick people because they fail to fulfil a work test requirement.

 “With unemployment rising to 6 per cent and even ASB economist Nick Tuffley predicting a jump to 7 per cent by late 2016, now is the time for National to rethink its entire approach to welfare.

 “When Paula Bennett’s reforms were first announced, her intention was clear.  She wanted 100,000 working age beneficiaries out of the welfare system within ten years, no matter the human cost.

 “It would be far better for the economy, and for unemployed people, beneficiaries and their children, if National were to reverse Bennett’s changes alongside investing in programmes of genuine public and community sector job creation for those who have particular difficulty in finding work.

 “Now is the time for National to wake up and realise that there are far more productive and compassionate ways of dealing with unemployment and poverty than its current toxic mixture of disentitlement and punishment.

 ENDS