If you wanted to do a crash course in the benefit system and current trends this weekend (in-law visit avoidance perhaps) you could bury yourself in the Statistical Report, released today. It is bursting with 300-odd pages of information about trends, expenditures, grants, reasons for leaving, historical data, and much more. Trouble is it only extends to June 2010. A year ago. So not a great deal is newsworthy. Just a few things caught my eye while browsing;
* Nearly two fifths of benefit expenditure was on the DPB and nearly a third on the Invalids benefit
* Older clients - aged 40-64 - account for nearly half of benefit expenditure. More precisely 47-49%.
My comment - why not rephrase that as younger clients account for over half of benefit expenditure? Not a good look really.
* Women accounted for the majority of total main benefit expenditure
That's enough for late on a Friday afternoon.
I have more enjoyable things to do.
Bob Ekelund Remembered
47 minutes ago
2 comments:
A headline in today,s NZ Herald online "Girls sleep around 'to keep up with the boys' - therapist". The NZ Herald is slowly unravelling behaviours which are pointing to causes of unwed DPB numbers. People who read that from overseas really glean an insight into some parts of our culture. Great for tourism. Older people in our society probably squirm in distaste at the new low in personal relationships.
Best to imagine the whole welfare system as a large ocean liner that is steering a new course to less dependency. Takes time to change direction of such a large well known ship. Without having to triple the police force or prison beds, the new less dependency direction needs to managed over 10 years, slowly squeezing out the not wanted parts. No need to sink the the liner like the Titanic and cause law and order issues, where 8 foot fences have to built and businesses s have to barricade their operations, or society is in an uproar. Just plan the new welfare direction, announce it often so all get used to the idea and proceed with it. Those dispensing the new policy may live in safe ivory tower positions but most live in communities where their daily reality is different.
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