None of the 42 key recommendations made by the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) in February 2019 have been fully implemented, according to a stocktake released today by the Child Poverty Action Group.

CPAG says that putting the building blocks in place to clean up an inherited mess is a very important part of the process to achieve the targets set for poverty reduction.

It’s time for our leaders to harness their power to take action on meaningful and sustained welfare policy changes.

“What we are asking is that they make some simple, effective changes that will relieve stress among low-income families on benefits.”

If we want New Zealand to be the best place in the world to be a child, the Government needs to increase benefits, remove sanctions, individualise benefits, and fix abatement rates now.

“While household income for some families will be lifted over the 50% line through the Government’s Families Package, the children living in the hardest of situations just fall further behind.”

CPAG recommends removing the Accommodation Supplement for around 250,000 families because the payment is overly complex and poorly designed.

The focus on meeting individual needs, rather than simply ticking boxes will go a long way to minimise the stresses we know that people who regularly interact with Work and Income experience.