Crackdown on Working for Families children

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, September 12th, 2012 - 13 comments
Categories: Satire, welfare - Tags:

Families will lose half their Working for Families payments if they don’t put their kids in ECE or make sure they have the Well Child checks, under reforms to be announced by Paula Bennett the next time National needs a distraction from its failed economic management. ‘When you’re getting public money, the government can demand anything of you: even if it isn’t compulsory and even if you can’t afford it,’ said Bennett. ‘No-one gave a damn when we did this to beneficiary families, so this is the logical next step.’

Asked how reducing the income of families that are already poor does anything to help the children, Bennett replied ‘Fuck you, that’s how. This is a government that is committed to making platitudes and using the language of caring while kicking the shit out of the poor.

Asked if it was Nanny State to require families to put their children in ECE, Bennett replied ‘No. Stopping schools making a profit off selling junk food – that’s Nanny State. Setting lighting efficiency standards in line with the rest of the world to dramatically reduce the carbon emissions of our electricity network – that’s Nanny State. Threatening to cut off the money you use to feed your children if you’re poor or middle class and you don’t put them in voluntary education – that’s Bully State.

13 comments on “Crackdown on Working for Families children ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Tracey 1
    12 September 2012 at 11:08 am

    “‘When you’re getting public money, the government can demand anything of you”

    I demand random drug testing for politicians, loss of perks. Airpoints to be used for government or MP related business trips, no fees for private schools, if you lie to me you lose all pay, you must use state schools for your children and so on… otherwise we will cut your pay in half, and half again until you comply. Worst that could happen? They resign and go and work as “consultants”.

  2. Tiger Mountain 2
    12 September 2012 at 12:05 pm

    National super recipients (and as such, obviously sponging on the public dime) shall henceforth be sherry, gin and Bob Charles Deer Velvet tab tested.

    Upon a failed result will be required to surrender all Woolrest Biomag blankets and hand knitted cardigan like garments until such time as they can prove at their own expense they are no longer having any fun and are freezing their butts off.

  3. BernyD 3
    12 September 2012 at 12:11 pm

    It’s almost as if they want the riots to start.
    Vive la Revolution !

  4. Bill 4
    12 September 2012 at 12:19 pm

    Y’know, you might want to insert little qualifiers such as ‘reportedly’ or ‘allegedly’ around the word ‘said’ or ‘replied’ when you’re using ‘not quite’ quote marks…just to differentiate from stuff that is actually a quote….if, for no other reason, that a lot of the stuff uttered by parliamentary clowns is beyond satire.

  5. captain hook 5
    12 September 2012 at 1:44 pm

    tired of walking?start running.

  6. vto 6
    12 September 2012 at 1:48 pm

    Private schools in Christchurch have the biggest problem with smoking marijuana and binge drinking in the city.

    What is Minister Bennett doing about that? Failure to pass drug and alcohol tests must result in private school subsidies being stopped.

  7. Treetop 7
    12 September 2012 at 2:49 pm

    When I heard that Bennett wants 3 and 4 year old children to attend ECE for 15 hours a week it got me thinking back to the kindergarten system 25 years ago. There usually was a waiting list for three year olds and in my area a child was age 3.9 before they attended for three afternoon sessions a week and when age 4 children went five mornings a week.

    Today some kindergartens offer 20 hours ECE to 3 and 4 year olds, some are open during the school holidays and children as young as 2 can attend some kindergatens.

    25 years ago there was no fee, today some fees may apply and some assistance is offered from Work and Income.

    http://www.nzkindergarten.org.nz/about.html

    I oppose Bennett’s stigmatising the primary carer and their children. There are not enough ECE positions, the hours could be shortened to 9 a week for a 3 year old and this would help with the cost.

    Has it got to the point where a child has to be at a certain place before their primary carer can receive the full entitlement to a benefit?

  8. Carol 8
    12 September 2012 at 3:20 pm

    More Orwellian double-speak from Paula Benef*ct in the House today.

    She had the gall to get all indignant and tell Labour it should be ashamed for what it did to people by shunting them from unemployment to sickness benefits. Then she said she will be doing the best for beneficiaries by identifying the areas of most need and targeting….

    …altogether, her approach, without the NAct spin, means more intrusive surveillance and punishing of beneficiaries – especially the least powerful and those with least resources to improve their circumstances….

    • Treetop 8.1
      12 September 2012 at 4:30 pm

      The gall of Bennett. Does the woman not know that a GP does a medical for those on sickness benefit. I suggest she takes up the issue of the medical with the GP who writes it.

      This week Bennett is a child expert, a GP and a BULLY.

  9. Tracey 9
    12 September 2012 at 3:30 pm

    did she happen to mention where the mystery jobs are coming from?

  10. the pink postman 10
    13 September 2012 at 4:17 pm

    Is this women quite with it .Many educational experts believe that we send our children to school to early .Most kids under 5/6 are better home with mum .I know one thing Bennett would change her mind if she saw how our youngest carried on at pre-school;. Those were the days . I should add that 35 years later he is an excellent citizen . Of course we should also remember that Bennett left her baby with her mother why she went to University.All paid for by us taxpayers.

  11. quartz 11
    13 September 2012 at 4:57 pm

    Asked how reducing the income of families that are already poor does anything to help the children, Bennett replied ‘Fuck you, that’s how.

    This is my favorite political commentary of the week.