Labour calls for Government survey of poverty

Press, 17 December 1982, Page 4

Labour calls for Government survey of poverty

Parliamentary reporter A Government survey of poverty in New Zealand has been called for after the publication yesterday of a Christchurch survey of lowincome families. The call has come from the Labour Party, after qualified Government acceptance of the survey's results. The Minister of Social Welfare. Mr Young, expressed sympathy for lowincome families. He and senior officials of his department were looking at restructuring provisions to give the families more help, he said. Some of the beneficiaries interviewed might not be

receiving all the forms of social welfare help available.

Beneficiaries should take advantage of supplementary help such as the accommodation benefit, disability allowance. handicapped child allowance. and special benefit. Mr Young said.

He said that to use the basic benefit rate as the poverty level was to mislead readers of the survey.

When the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Social Security had recommended the rate in 1972. it had suggested benefits which related the standard of living of beneficiaries to that enjoyed more generally by the rest of the communitv.

Over the years, the relevance had been maintained by six-monthly adjustments based on changes to the consumers price index, he said.

Furthermore, when the present benefit rate was compared with the original reference points of the Royal Commission, and updated to present wage levels, benefit rates were considerably ahead.

The Labour spokesman on social welfare. Mr G. W. R. Palmer (Christchurch Central). said the research confirmed there was poverty in New Zealand. It also provided concrete evidence about the problems poverty caused.

One highly significant feature of the research was that many of those in trouble had jobs. One-third of those in the survey had paid employment. he said. The survey showed the need for the ‘Government to sponsor a regular, systematic. qualitative survey of poverty in New Zealand. Reliable evidence was needed about the extent that people were suffering so that appropriate policies could be designed to alleviate that suffering. The Government had steadfastly refused to fund adequate research into the social indicators of poverty. Mr Palmer said.