The Nats have created a beneficiary bashing culture so rigid and so nasty that stuff like this happens:
Grandparent carers forced back to work
Grandparents who have spent years raising troubled grandchildren are being told to get back to work, sometimes just months from retirement. …
Some grandparents nearing retirement age have been required to attend job-training courses, where they are asked about what school they attended and what their long-term career goals were.
“This is forcing elderly people who are caring for traumatised kids back into work,” GRG chairwoman Diane Vivian said. “It is just appalling.”
When such cases are publicised by the media, they cry some crocodile tears (and blame the officials – of course):
Carer grans: officials told to use nous
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says it is ridiculous that soon-to-be-retired carers are being told to work under the new welfare regime.
Ms Bennett met Work and Income staff yesterday after reports that grandparents caring for their grandchildren were being asked to get back to work, sometimes just months from retirement.
“It was certainly not my expectation that people only six months away from retirement or who had children that had a special need . . . would be work-tested.”
Crocodile tears in this case – but not in the unknown number of others, equally ludicrous for their own reasons, that will go on unreported…
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