LINDSAY MITCHELL: 'Too sick to work' needs addressing
- Administrator
- Jun 30
- 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.
Imagine being the Doctor in the same room as a gang member, or equally violent, aggressive LARGE 'Maori' who is DEMANDING a certificate to allow them to continue on the 'Bennie' they have been getting for the last 30 YEARS. Well done, ACT
I too deplore those disreputables who "game" the system. ACT's proposals to disperse benefits through a card system which prioritises food, clothing, shelter, transport and the various other essentials, and its moves to ensure a second or third medical opininion must be provided in order to ascertain the level of physical/phychological disability of an applicant, are reasonable prerequsits.
If ACT's anti - Maori - Treaty - electoral representation philosophies were not so dominant, they'd get my Party vote.
But maybe by the time November comes around, Nicola Willis" green shoots will have produced a veritable jungle of well paid jobs? Unemployment will rapidly become a thing of the past?
One inherent problem with the "less healthy" (and I speak from experience and a lot of anecdotal observation) is that while they CAN work, they often can't be relied on to be there every day, all day, and arriving at the same time every morning. There are people who are falling through the cracks of mainstream medicine and having to live sub-par lives under disadvantages relating to any one of a number of chronic problems. Even something as simple as irritable bowel creates an unreliable worker, who for example, can't be relied on to man a cashier station.
Along with this, is inflexible legal arrangements for employment, so that employers are unable to make arrangements that are kind to unfortunate…
Totally support ACT on this, as a young fella I did anything it took to get extra $, (never been on a benefit). stacking hay, digging post holes, bar keeping, cleaning shop floors (night) etc etc, this was over my normal work. Some may feel its beneath them, some feel they are over qualified, blah blah, funnily enough I am now very comfortably retired, hence, "the harder you work the luckier you get". Not that long ago anyone in a village not pulling their weight eg, " providing", and were a bain on society, were cast out into the wilderness, these usually ended up preying on the citizens to survive and becoming "outlaws". Nothing has changed.
It would be interesting to find out just how many of the beneficiary dependent vote for left wing parties. I tend to believe it would be the majority.
The turkey never votes for an early Christmas!