Carmel Sepuloni, CEO of Vaka Tautua writes about the welfare reforms that came into effect on the 15th of July…
Welfare reforms and the impact on those living with mental health issues and/or disability
“The truth is that some view the recently announced welfare reforms as the ‘kick in the butt’ that the unemployed need to get them actively looking for work. If only it were that simple. If only jobs were plentiful and barriers to employment didn’t exist.
I decided to look specifically at the changes in relation to those living with disability and / or with mental health issues – at the end of the day we at Vaka Tautua need to know how our Pacific clients are impacted by these changes.
When looking over the submissions to this bill there was no mistaking that there is strong support and appreciation for appropriate employment. No one denied the positive impact that appropriate employment can have on people’s physical, mental, emotional, social and financial wellbeing. There was general acceptance of the changes to the benefit titles – in fact some felt that this was a positive move, citing a negative stigma attached to previous titles. However there were some very real and serious concerns raised about the legislation.“
