Some big and some little numbers

Perusing recent OIA responses, a handful caught my interest:

 405 people registered for public housing were living in their car at December 31, 2020

 20 minutes and 44 seconds was the average speed of answer for Studylink calls in March 2021

2 of 28 sexual harrassment claims at MSD between 2016 and 2020 were substantiated

378,132 MSD clients recieve an Accommodation Supplement at end December 2020. A third receive the maximum amount payable (eg $305 in Auckland with two children).

$1,905,659,255 is owed to MSD by way of recoverable assistance loaned to clients

$301,404 spent with My Food Bag Ltd since August 2019

909 people opted out of the Winter Energy Payment in the winter of  2020

"Sexual violence bill could see more innocent Māori face jail"

The persistent Samira Taghavi writes yet another column in opposition to the unjust Sexual Violence Bill proceeding through parliament.

"The bill will presumptively prohibit evidence pointing to innocence and destroy a defendant’s right to silence, thus increasing conviction numbers. The legislation is built upon the faulty statistical spin that the conviction rate for rape is “appallingly low” when, in an ‘oranges with oranges’ comparison, sexual violation convictions are actually in line with those for some other violent crimes."

She's really sticking it to the Maori Party, and Labour's Maori MPs for refusing to engage with those against the legislation:

The Māori Party’s lack of objection to the bill appears more ideologically driven, with being a compliant cog in the wider left-wing cause seeming the grand objective. But it would be disappointing if the party’s two MPs don’t now realise that keeping innocent tangata whenua out of jail must deserve as much energy as keeping neckties out of Parliament.

Samira is doubtless using the Maori angle to get more publicity, but why not? That's the modus operandi of the politicians she is exposing.

 

Jobseekers not responding to labour shortages in significant numbers

This is a bit of a worry. The Jobseeker benefit cancellations have dropped below last year's weekly equivalent. This despite all of the workers currently required. For the first time since around February the orange line has crossed the blue line.

And lest you think the picture is OK so long as the cancellations keep happening take a look at grants of Jobseeker benefit in the same period:

2,616 cancellations

2,211 grants

That's pretty static.

And of the cancellations, only 65% found work.

228 transferred to another benefit.

696 cancelled for other reasons which are typically went overseas, excess income, went to prison, became a student.

Housing wait list continues to grow

April 23, 2021, Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods says:

Government delivers on housing

Released today, the public housing wait list numbers:

I wonder what not delivering looks like?