6. RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What reports, if any, has he received on the Government’s progress at reducing the number of New Zealanders in long-term unemployment?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
I am advised that the number of working-age people who have been receiving the unemployment benefit for more than 1 year has fallen by 80 percent since the Labour-led Government took office. National left a legacy of more than 70,000 long-term unemployed in 1999. By December 2006 this Government had reduced that number by more than 56,000 to around 14,000. Responsible economic stewardship, coupled with policies that support people into work, and services that support the needs of employers and job seekers, have created a climate where we can ensure that people have real work for real wages.
Russell Fairbrother Link to this
Has the Minister received any specific information about whether Burnside—the scene of a recent speech by the Leader of the Opposition—could fit Mr Key’s description of being one of the “places where rungs on the ladder of opportunity have been broken.”?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I have received advice that suggests that situations such as that described by the Leader of the Opposition did exist in the Burnside area. There were, in fact, a total of 3,458 people receiving the unemployment benefit from the Riccarton and Papanui service centres, but that was in 1999, the last time this country was unfortunate enough to be under the mismanagement of those members. The number receiving the unemployment benefit today in that area is not 3,458, but 403. This Government’s policies have restored the ladder of opportunity for more than 3,000 people, which that party had taken away and would remove again if this country were ever unfortunate enough to see it in Government.