LINDSAY MITCHELL: 'Too sick to work' needs addressing
- Administrator
- 1 hour ago
- 1 min read
ACT announced welfare policy at the weekend.
Their concern is about the growth in people who are on a benefit because they are too sick to work.
Readers here will remember the distinct Sickness and Invalid's benefits that were abolished in 2013.
They were replaced with Job Seeker/Health or Disability condition (usually temporary) and Supported Living Payment (usually permanent).
Numbers on these benefits have grown. Particularly for those who are dependent for the primary reason of psychiatric or psychological conditions.
Below is my chart from MSD data:
The Job Seeker/ Health or Disability condition numbers (dark green line) have increased significantly. It's also clear that the proportion being granted that benefit for psychological or psychiatric reasons (turquoise line) is supporting the growth (which is well above natural population growth.)
ACT's policy is, "All health and disability benefits will be independently issued by an MSD-approved pool of designated doctors."
Many GPs will be relieved at the prospect. Doctors come under a great deal of pressure to sign patients onto a benefit. Seymour talks openly about this and I've heard directly and anecdotally that GPs feel threatened and have for a long time.
At the same time, there are genuine cases whose benefit income remains secure.
But nobody can look at the evidence and deny a problem. Too many are languishing on benefits when the best thing for their mental health would be a job: a purpose, companionship and more money.
Disclaimer: I have had no direct involvement with ACT party policy.
Anyone abusing the benefit system should be permanently denied all future claims
Your point is fair and valid.. there are indeed too many on benefits.
My queasiness comes from David Seymour's performance like a trained gimp in support of untested mRNA Covid jabs. People have been demonstrably injured by them.. some fatally, some non-fatal but severe.
ACT continues to play the blind/deaf/dumb monkey to this fact to bolster their election chances.
To release this policy in the face of the unacknowledged complicity strikes me as a typical act of election-year cynicism that drives people away from voting at all.