Expiry of dole urged

The Government is considering cancelling unemployment benefits after a year and forcing beneficiaries to reapply.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett unveiled the radical proposal a day after revelations that 300 families were receiving more than $1000 a week from the taxpayer.

The Press revealed yesterday that the Harris family in Christchurch had received unemployment and sickness benefits for 25 years and recently received special-needs grants from Work and Income to fence their swimming pool and put new tyres on their 2007 Chrysler saloon.

The Harris family, which has links to gang activity dating back to the 1970s, gets $1000 a week from the taxpayer and has received more than $30,000 in special-needs grants since 2000.

Former gang leader Darryl Harris, who has been on a benefit since 1984, was jailed in 1991 for the shooting of two Highway 61 gang members. Subsequently, the police officers who prosecuted him had their houses torched, and the Sydenham police station was burnt down.

A woman who said she was a daughter of Darryl Harris contacted The Press yesterday saying Work and Income would not have released the money unless the Harris family was entitled to it.

"It was at their discretion to release that money," she said.

"Anybody can go into Work and Income and apply for a grant. It's at the discretion of Work and Income whether it's approved."

The woman said Harris has applied for work, but said it was difficult to find work because "he was an ex-gang member".

She said it was "disgraceful" and "appalling" that Harris' children were referred to in the story.

Members of the public contacted The Press yesterday expressing outrage at the payments to the Harris family. They included beneficiaries who said they had been unable to get special-needs grants from Work and Income.

A former Work and Income case worker had become "disillusioned" after 10 years with the department.

"The ministers who talk tough – and many have over the years I worked there – need only change the law if brave enough, but will they? No," the former staffer said.

"The voter base of beneficiaries and their advocates and social agencies is too strong for any minister to offend."

Bennett said yesterday that she was planning changes, including a proposal to cancel the unemployment benefit of any beneficiary after 12 months.

Time-limited benefits were proposed by former National leader Don Brash, but the party dropped them before last year's election as too controversial.

Bennett said the idea needed to be reconsidered in the light of new figures showing the number of long-term beneficiaries.

Information released yesterday under the Official Information Act showed 6654 people have been on the unemployment benefit for more than a year as of September, and 816 have been on the dole for more than five years.

Harris remains on a sickness benefit, despite being a martial arts expert, because he has a medical opinion saying he has cannabis addiction.

Harris must be reassessed by a doctor every 13 weeks, but Work and Income said yesterday that it could not force him to undertake drug or alcohol rehabilitation under current laws.

Rehabilitation programmes exist for sickness beneficiaries addicted to drugs, but the department cannot force them to attend or withhold their benefit if they refuse.

Prime Minister John Key said he was concerned about the benefit revelations.

While the bulk of recipients needed their benefits and did not abuse the system, the Government would crack down on those who abused it, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News