Unnecessary Regulations

March 31, 2004

No Welfare until 2007

Is there is a reason why the Campbell government is keeping the much cursed 2 year welfare rule even though they have introduced 25 exemptions?

Consider someone who on April 1st, 2004, had been on welfare for two or more years and then was able to find a job. If that person lost the job the following week, and reapplied for welfare, they would be told that they are not eligible again until April 2007. That is the result of section 13 of the Act and Section 27 (2) (3) through Section 29 of the regulations. A Ministry spokesperson contends that such a person would be allowed to re-apply as long as they had not voluntarily quit their job, but there is nothing in the regulations to support that assertion.

Those who fully understand the ramifications of the 2 year rule would have to think twice before getting off welfare unless they have secure continuing employment. Those who take the risk, and then fall on bad luck could end up in crime or on the street to survive. The Campbell government is heartless.

The exemptions introduced to prevent a crisis on April 1st merely mean that the day of reckoning has been postponed until re-applications occur. Eventually the two year rule may be overturned through a legal challenge; in the meantime, what will happen to those who are told they can no longer get help?

A Ministry spokesperson confirmed that the regulations for the 2 year rule as modified by news release have yet to be passed by cabinet. It is not too late for government to do the right thing and simply repeal the rule.

March 30, 2004

Unnecessary Regulations for Welfare

This week the government may finally release information on its ill conceived two year welfare eligibility rule, but there is a catch-22 that will hide what has really gone on. Instead of admitting that a mistake was made with the 2 year rule, expect government to attack its critics again.

The number of reasons for being exempted from the only eligibility time limit of its kind steadily increased as the implementation date for the new policy drew near. On February 6th the Campbell government announced a 25th reason for excusing people from the ill conceived rule for welfare: "People who have an employment plan, are complying with their plan, are actively looking for work, but have not been successful in finding employment." It has always been a requirement that people on welfare actively look for work; in other words, people who are already having trouble were put through unnecessary stress with a bad policy. Instead of eliminating a bad rule, the government played games by announcing that a long standing requirement to look for work would be enough to remain eligible for assistance.

The government isn't very good when it comes to applying time limits to itself. The legal deadline for responding to a freedom of information request on how many people were excused for each of the 25 reasons expired last week. Sometime during the week of March 29th the data will finally be made public, but instead of showing how many people were excused for the 25th reason, that category will remain empty because the two year limit doesn't take effect until April 1st. Consequently, very few people will have been receiving assistance for two or more of the last five years measured to April 1, 2004. The spin out of government will no doubt be that objections to the time limits were much to do about nothing, while the truth is that it will take months before anyone really knows how many people are saved by the 25th excuse - the one that makes the rule nothing but unnecessary red tape.

Instead of having a cruel time limit and twenty five reasons for escaping it, it would be sufficient to just enforce the long standing requirement that eligibility depends on seeking work. It looks like the Campbell government's policy on eliminating unnecessary red tape and regulations doesn't apply to welfare.