NZ: HIGHEST RATE OF LONE PARENTS ON WELFARE

Media Release
NZ: HIGHEST RATE OF LONE PARENTS ON WELFARE
Tuesday, March 6, 2007

A report just released by the United Kingdom's Department for Work and Pensions, Welfare in the Future, reveals that New Zealand has the highest rate of working-age people relying on a single parent benefit.

Welfare commentator Lindsay Mitchell says, "The report compares sixteen developed countries and shows New Zealand heads the table with 4.2 percent of its working-age population reliant on the Domestic Purposes Benefit. Second is Ireland with 3.4 percent, followed by Australia at 3.2 percent."

"With New Zealand almost doubling the average percentage of 2.2 it is clear that while we compare better in terms of unemployment and even incapacity benefits, we continue to have a problem with too many single parents and their children being dependent on welfare."

"The report shows that other countries have far more stringent conditions on receipt of a single parent benefit. For instance, the US has time-limits and work requirements, Germany requires lone parents to be available for work when the youngest child turns three and in Denmark, single parents go on the unemployment benefit."

"In contrast NZ single parents can stay on the DPB until their youngest is 19, they get extra assistance for additional children and there are no work requirements."

"The resulting statistics speak for themselves."

(Hat tip to Gavin for alerting me to report)