Labour / NZ First Government

[moka]

No I am not shooting the messenger.
Trevor Mallard continues to be the biggest bully Parliament has ever seen and practices it nearly daily in Parliament and shockingly, in his behaviour and actions against a former staffer that he has accused of sexual harassment and sacked him without proof. I don't know if this guy is guilty or not guilty but it seems rather an unfair treatment where the Speaker of Parliament can behave like this and have all his decisions/fights paid for by the taxpayer (like Winston) while the guy fighting to clear his name is facing bankruptcy trying to clear his name.
Sorry moka but we are miles apart on this one.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...hould-be-named

After receiving the Francis report Trevor Mallard urged victims of serious sexual assault to seek support. A previous complaint was reopened and it was found substantiated and the man’s employment contract came to an end. I will let the judge decide if it is defamation or not.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/389766/parliament-bullying-mallard-urges-rape-victims-to-seek-support
Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard says it's his impression from the report on bullying at Parliament that people have been raped there, and he is urging the victims to go to police or support agencies. Some of the most serious accusations included allegations of sexual harassment, including three cases of serious sexual assault.
Mr Mallard told Morning Report's Susie Ferguson it was his interpretation that people had been raped at Parliament.
"We're talking about serious sexual assault, well that, for me, that's rape ... that is the impression I get from the report, yes."
He said his reading of the report was that the offences were all committed by one person, and said he did not know who that person was.
He urged the victims to go either to police or support agencies and report the assaults.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/122213171/speaker-trevor-mallard-loses-suppression-argument-in-defamation-claim
Amid allegations of bullying at Parliament an old complaint against the man that already been investigated and found not to be made out, was reopened. Ultimately it was found substantiated and the man’s employment contract came to an end, the judge said.
The complainant did not allege rape but the man said that Mallard expressly or by implication, told media that it was a rape complaint.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12234879
A three-year-old complaint, laid two years after the alleged assault occurred, was investigated last year and the man was exonerated.
The investigation into those claims has now been reopened and he's been sent home with Mallard declaring at the time that "I can give an assurance that one of the key dangers is no longer in Parliament".

[moka]

That would in my humble opinion be a disaster for society. Idle hands are a recipe for a lot of social problems and ills.

As Blue Skies said in the post "there's going to be far fewer jobs in future & I can't see there's much any govt can do about that." With fewer jobs we need a rethink about paid work and reducing the stigma about being unemployed. If there are not suitable jobs blaming the unemployed for the problem is one of the ills of society, and contributes to social problems - depression, addiction, and suicide.
How about some kindness towards beneficiaries who find themselves in an unfortunate position not of their making.

[Balance]

As Blue Skies said in the post "there's going to be far fewer jobs in future & I can't see there's much any govt can do about that." With fewer jobs we need a rethink about paid work and reducing the stigma about being unemployed. If there are not suitable jobs blaming the unemployed for the problem is one of the ills of society, and contributes to social problems - depression, addiction, and suicide.
How about some kindness towards beneficiaries who find themselves in an unfortunate position not of their making.

Tens of thousands of jobs are going begging in the agricultural sector and NZ employed over 200,000 short term workers to fill jobs.

Show kindness and compassion when said ‘beneficiaries’ get off their backsides and do something useful.

What a scam our beneficiary system is - an absolute and total scam.

[blackcap]

Tens of thousands of jobs are going begging in the agricultural sector and NZ employed over 200,000 short term workers to fill jobs.

Show kindness and compassion when said ‘beneficiaries’ get off their backsides and do something useful.

What a scam our beneficiary system is - an absolute and total scam.

Totally agree. There are so many jobs that could be taken by Kiwi's yet we get in foreigners because the kiwis here can't be arsed to do these jobs, either too lazy or beneath their dignity. However they are quite happy taking the benefit. The laws regarding accepting the benefit should be made that much more strict and it should be harder to get welfare, rather than easier. Don't want to work? That's ok, no benefit for you.

[artemis]

For those in the workforce with dependants, low wages for low skilled jobs are a disincentive to work. Although there are a couple of taxpayer transfers based on income, family size and location (eg Accommodation Supplement) for the most part wages don't increase along with family size.

About 6000 babies are born into benefit dependent households each year, with another 3-4000 in such a household before they are 12 months old. Benefit goes up.

Why work?

The previous government introduced a policy that parent/s of those 6000 babies must be work ready when they are a year old, provided the next youngest is school age. The idea was to put these parents on the same footing as those that get off the sofa and go to work every day. Policy well and truly ditched now, and quite possible it didn't work very well anyway.

The UK has a 2 child max policy for some child benefits. More parents entered the workforce.

[Balance]

Totally agree. There are so many jobs that could be taken by Kiwi's yet we get in foreigners because the kiwis here can't be arsed to do these jobs, either too lazy or beneath their dignity. However they are quite happy taking the benefit. The laws regarding accepting the benefit should be made that much more strict and it should be harder to get welfare, rather than easier. Don't want to work? That's ok, no benefit for you.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...back-if-needed

And why would the Kiwis made redundant want to work when this government is encouraging them to become beneficiaries?

See the grinning photo of Grant Robertson promising plenty more social welfare benefits in the article, all in the name of Covid-19.

Not a word from him about doing a decent day’s work when there are employers out there pleading for workers!

[justakiwi]

Every time someone makes a comment like this, they are making an assumption about people they do not know. Yes, no doubt some of you “know someone” on a benefit who is exploiting the system, but the vast majority of beneficiaries want to work. Wanting to work and being able to are, however, two different things! Single parents are generally not in a position to uproot their family and move to Nelson to pick fruit for a season. They can’t just abandon their kids to go work on a fishing boat. They can’t afford to pay for full time child care while they go work on a dairy farm for minimum wage. It is damned difficult to make those kinds of situations work, if not impossible.

I was a single Mum raising four kids. I was on a benefit for more years than I ever anticipated. I managed to get a part time job in a furniture factory, paying $10/hour (back then) but I spent more on petrol, traveling to work, than what I earned. It was not doable. Yes, things have improved since then, but please don’t fall into the trap of believing beneficiaries have it easy. It is a bloody hard slog, and being constantly disparaged by people who have never walked in your shoes, does nothing to support us or help our self esteem. It is difficult enough to have to ask for help, visit food banks or apply for school “charity” funds so your kid can go on a school camp; without being sniggered at and condemned by the rest of the population.

And before anyone says it ... no, I am not ​an exception to the rule. The vast majority of beneficiaries were, and are, in the same boat as me - trying to dig ourselves out of the same black hole.

Don't want to work? That's ok, no benefit for you.

[blackcap]

Every time someone makes a comment like this, they are making an assumption about people they do not know. Yes, no doubt some of you “know someone” on a benefit who is exploiting the system, but the vast majority of beneficiaries want to work. Wanting to work and being able to are, however, two different things! Single parents are generally not in a position to uproot their family and move to Nelson to pick fruit for a season. They can’t just abandon their kids to go work on a fishing boat. They can’t afford to pay for full time child care while they go work on a dairy farm for minimum wage. It is damned difficult to make those kinds of situations work, if not impossible.

I was a single Mum raising four kids. I was on a benefit for more years than I ever anticipated. I managed to get a part time job in a furniture factory, paying $10/hour (back then) but I spent more on petrol, traveling to work, than what I earned. It was not doable. Yes, things have improved since then, but please don’t fall into the trap of believing beneficiaries have it easy. It is a bloody hard slog, and being constantly disparaged by people who have never walked in your shoes, does nothing to support us or help our self esteem. It is difficult enough to have to ask for help, visit food banks or apply for school “charity” funds so your kid can go on a school camp; without being sniggered at and condemned by the rest of the population.

And before anyone says it ... no, I am not ​an exception to the rule. The vast majority of beneficiaries were, and are, in the same boat as me - trying to dig ourselves out of the hole.

I understand your position. I am not saying that people should uproot and go to Nelson to pick fruit. That is insane. But if you are turning down dairy farm work because its too hard or beneath you, or get sacked because you are not reliable.... well sorry, no benefit for you. We have too many people in manual non-skilled labour that we import from the likes of the Phillipines etc. It is not good enough.

[iceman]

I've just been reading the news on charges for isolation costs for inbound passengers https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300...uarantine-stay

But I've seen the NZF has said they've invoked the "agree to disagree" clause in their hidden coalition agreement. So does that mean the Government has no majority for this in Parliament as the PM said yesterday she saw no reason to talk to National about it !?

[Zaphod]

I've just been reading the news on charges for isolation costs for inbound passengers https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300...uarantine-stay

But I've seen the NZF has said they've invoked the "agree to disagree" clause in their hidden coalition agreement. So does that mean the Government has no majority for this in Parliament as the PM said yesterday she saw no reason to talk to National about it !?

I presume not. This is however exactly the sort of decision that requires have strong cross party support. Very disappointing.