The NACTFirst coalition’s favourite move – the infatigable passing under urgency – was flourished again on Friday, the 28th of August. Jobseeker beneficiaries aged 18-19, whose parents make $67,225 or more, will lose access to their benefits. This policy has been critiqued since it was launched. The Green party argued very simply that taking jobseeker benefits away from these young adults wouldn’t actually get them into employment. While means testing parents, National has not made any indication that they would be Mean-testing parents, which is to say that regardless of the relationship a child has with their parents, estranged or not, National expects parents to cover the cost of an older teenager. Louise Upston, National’s Minister for Social Development, says the changes pushed in on the 28th would “better target [this] support to those who need it most”.
It’s been estimated that 4,300 young people will lose access to jobseeker benefits as a result of this. According to Louise Upston, 1,800 suffer from psychological and psychiatric conditions. Upston was pressured about this in July and said that “These young people will have better future outcomes if they remain close to the labour market or are studying.” Although sanctions on University students who take out a loan and then move elsewhere where there are actually jobs and money make one wonder if these students will, in fact, take up studying.
This marks one of 125 bills that the National-led coalition government have passed under urgency, far and away the most bills that a government has passed using the tactic since comparable records began in 2008.
