2016-07-25
The Australian Greens said today the Government's new approach to targeting support to people on income support could be very positive but it must be done properly; with long term investment in individuals and strong consultation with the sector.
“I have personally visited New Zealand to look at actuarial/investment approach of targeting support for particular groups on income support. There are strengths to this approach that we can learn from, but there are also some negatives that I wouldn't like to see here”, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.
“The long term investment in a person and an individualised approach have proven to be effective in supporting people, but New Zealand also went overboard in sanctioning people.
“We must also make sure that there is an independent body that researches and reports on the process by the Government. An essential part of this process is a whole of Government approach and Australia has a long way to go to achieve that.
“We must also make sure we are not ignoring different vulnerable cohorts whilst focussing on youth unemployment.
“The Australian Greens look forward to a full briefing”.