By: Larry Williams | Tuesday, August 28, 2012 5:30 PM

Benefits

Beneficiaries will be penalised from July next year if they refuse to apply for jobs that require a drug test.

Under the second round of welfare reforms, it'll be made clear beneficiaries must remain drug free in order to take up suitable work opportunities.

The policy applies to those with a work expectation attached to their benefit, and for jobs that require drug tests.

That's about 40 percent of those listed with Work and Income.

If someone fails a test, or refuses to take it, they must agree to stop using drugs, or face a 50 percent benefit cut.

If they fail or refuse a second time, they will be cut off.

The policy is actually weak in that those who refuse to take or fail a test have 30 days to get clean. They get a warning. Even if they get caught a second time it gives them another 30 days to provide a 'clean' drug test.

You cannot say any of this is unreasonable.

Other job seekers have to take these drug tests so it’s only fair that those on benefits do also.

As I said - the policy is weak.

 

Child Poverty

The Prime Minister is knocking back two of the main recommendations made in today's report on finding solutions to child poverty

John Key is open to encouraging the private sector to do more to improve the quality of rental homes.

But he's ruling out the introduction of in-work tax credits and a universal child allowance.

Mr Key says the country moved away from the latter some years ago and we now have a highly targeted system via Working for Families.

He's against the introduction of in-work tax credits for those who aren't working, saying it'd narrow the incentive for people to work.

Mr Key’s wasting no time at all on dealing with this.

There’s no costing in the policy of a child payment but it would be horrendous.

Even if such a policy was to fly it would not make any sense to make it universal.

 

There is a recommendation that all low decile schools offer pupils free food.

It’s designed to tackle child poverty.

Under the programme, children get three food items a day from a list including toast, baked beans and fruit. All pretty basic food that children should be getting at home.

This programme will allow parents to take less responsibility. It is the parents who are not feeding their kids.

The hand wringers will claim that these parents can't afford it. This is surely nonsense. How much does it cost for a bit of toast and some baked beans? Bugger all, that’s what! Our benefits in this country are high by international standards. I don't see any excuse for not putting some food on the table for children.

The taxpayers will be called up again to fund all of this and the problem gets worse.

I'm not against children getting some food, what I'm against is these parents neglecting their responsibilities.

 

Whanganui

Whanganui explores options for the Beast - Stewart Murray Wilson. Residents don't really appear to have any options.

The irony is that the conditions placed on Wilson looked rock solid but now they may be relaxed. Wilson might end up being able to roam a bit.

If there was anxiety before, there will be some distress at the thought of Wilson being able to go anywhere without minders.

The problem Whanganui faces is the Bill of Rights.

 

Alcohol

The MPs will most likely vote to split the age - 18 for bars and 20 for off licence liquor stores.

There is a vigorous campaign going on to retain the age at 18 for both on and off licence.

If you look at all the arguments for keeping the age at 18, and they are more like excuses than arguments, it comes back to one thing and that is a critical factor in the booze laws and booze culture is enforcement and penalties.

Nobody wants to address this. All they want to do is make concessions.

 

Gay Marriage

On this question, the MPs will most likely vote for this to go to select committee.

The debate will get personal and probably quite nasty, from both anti-gay and pro-gay sides. It will not be limited to just the anti-gay lobby.

Emails already sent to MPs cite a "destructive homosexual political cult", the "gay mafia" and even suggest the Bill is about “legalised child abuse".

I'm sure there is some room for rationale arguments in this debate too.

I think a law change seems pretty much inevitable and is supported by the majority of New Zealanders.

Photo: stock.xchng