National's welfare plans popular
DANYA LEVY
Whose welfare policy do you support?
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Politics
National's plans to overhaul the welfare system appear to have struck a chord with voters, with a new poll showing even some Labour and Greens voters support the changes.
National last week released its long-awaited welfare policy which aims to move 46,000 people off benefits and a further 11,000 into part-time employment by restructuring benefit types and requiring more people to look for work.
The changes, which focus particularly on solo parents and include forcing beneficiaries who have a subsequent child on welfare to look for work when their baby is 12 months old, are expected to save $1 billion over four years.
A new Fairfax Media-Research International poll shows the announcement made 52.8 per cent of voters more likely to vote National.
A further 20.7 per cent were less likely to vote National and 25 per cent said it made no difference, with the remainder in the "don't know" category.
When broken down on party lines, 78.2 per cent of National voters were more likely to vote National, but a surprising 21.8 per cent of Labour voters and 25.9 per cent of Green voters were also more likely to vote National.
Labour had hoped the Government's welfare policy would turn voters off National but the poll shows it is support for Labour which has plunged; it is down 5.4 points to 25.9 per cent while support for National remained almost unchanged on 52.5.
Left-wing voters appear to be shifting their support to minor parties, with the Greens up 2.9 to 12.6 per cent and New Zealand First up 1.3 to 2.8 per cent.
The poll also asked voters what they thought of Labour's plans to raise the retirement age gradually from 65 to 67, and make KiwiSaver compulsory and increase employer contributions to the scheme.
It found those policies were more divisive.
Making KiwiSaver compulsory was more popular with 32.2 per cent saying they were more likely to vote Labour and 26.5 per cent saying they were less likely.
Raising the age of eligibility for superannuation was less popular with 20.7 per cent saying they were more likely to vote Labour, but 32 per cent saying they were less likely.
More people were indifferent about Labour's policies with 44.4 per cent saying raising the retirement age made them neither more nor less likely to vote Labour and 38.4 saying compulsory KiwiSaver made no difference.
Right-wing political commentator Matthew Hooton said Labour was to be commended for "accepting the obvious" about raising the retirement age.
"What the poll suggests is contrary to long-held assumptions by political commentators, this actually doesn't affect voting behaviour very much."
Left-wing political commentator Bryce Edwards said welfare was the perennial polarising issue in election campaigns and the poll showed National's policy had been successful.
"They did a very good job of packaging it in a way that it dog-whistled to those who want strong welfare reform, but for those who are looking for passionate conservatism, there was that element to it as well.
"Even it's opponents couldn't find that much to strongly disagree with."
The poll of 1000 voters was conducted between November 3 and 7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 per cent.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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To sum up: Yeah, stick it to the bludgers! Me me me!
The main problem remains the same. It is unattractive for beneficiaries to work. They are allowed to earn $80 per week, after that they pretty much work for nothing. As single parent, fulltime work is no option. I see it time and time again. I have plenty of part time work to suit school hours, but people won't take it. Thank you Labour, you have well and truly created a welfare dependent underclass. Instead of people being rewarded for working and being better off, they find that welfare is the more lucrative option. If people want to go to work, let them keep their money! You might reduce the amount of so-called bludgers.
There are jobs out there but they're chump jobs created by chump industries. We need to put more money into technology based R&D.
Mum #116 - and whilst life is so incredibly tough for you, you still can afford a computer and an internet connection..... I have a job, and I don't even have an internet connection at home
While I hate the idea of partial asset sales, National is in touch with the electorate, which is the middle income voter. They are in touch on 2 points
1. The welfare policy 2. Crime - but still have a long way to go as the judges still have their hands full of wet bus tickets.
Labour is not in touch on these two points.
No point trying to get beneficiaries votes, they don't vote on the right, which is also bad news for Labour.
The only way Labour will get to govern is by appeasing the middle income voter.
@Eric #108
Whats that, most are manager/ceo or ICT jobs you say? all jobs ask for experience? well, how do you gain experience?..oh right working for families or a training allownance for solo parents would help. Sit back and wath your National govt FAIL
When the mothers go back to work the children will need day care - therefore we will need more day care centres and more day care 'teachers' to look after all the kids.
So not only does this solve the welfare issues it also creates jobs in child care and supporting services.
I bet all the clever people are out there now building new child care centres!
And all the clever mothers are looking at how to become child care 'teachers'!
There's over 9,000 jobs listed on TradeMe. What's that you say? There's 26,000 out of work so there aren't enough jobs? I see. Ah well, stay home then and watch Labour LOSE!
It seems to be typical of people only 'hearing' instead of actually listening! It is important to stop and look at the bigger picture of the policies from each party. All I have read through these comments is "jobs need to be created first" and "there are no jobs" etc. Actually there are plenty of jobs, there are plenty of sectors where jobs can be created, but people have to want to work and Im sorry but there are far too many NZers that feel having a job is too much like hard work, or the only jobs that they can do are beneath them even though they are not qualified/educated to doing anything requiring more skills, so its just easier to sit around and get the benefit each week.
Dont get me wrong, there are plenty of people that deserve the benefit, but there is also plenty of them that dont. The neighbourhood that I grew up in (state housing) a lot people on the benefit, yet they could still afford late model cars, sky TV, flat screen TV's, expensive label clothing etc. If they couldn't make their HP payments they'd just go to WINZ and get a grant ... didn't seem hardly fair back then and still doesnt now!!
I am all for the reform, and for the people that dont deserve benefits it will be the kick in the pants they need to realise just how bloody hard life can REALLY be when there is no nanny state dusting off their knees and wiping their bottom for them.
There are no free rides in life, get used to it and get over it!!
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Rate the Government's restructuring of the public service:
Laszlo #138
What constitutes a bludger and how many of those are there?