Shirley Johnson: Youth Justice Consultant critiques the Government's new benefit sanctions scheme
Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · Newstalk ZB
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Show Notes
The Government's being accused of failing to learn from past mistakes with its new benefit sanctions scheme.
It's announced new rules requiring beneficiaries to reapply more often.
People who fail to follow the rules could see half their benefit put on a payment card can that only be spent on essentials.
Youth justice consultant Shirley Johnson told Ryan Bridge we've had measures like this before and claims they didn't work.
She says it feels foolish to go back and re-do what didn't work before, when other measures are already working and are very effective.
Johnson said that while accountability's important, many young people are grappling with a challenging job market.
She told Bridge that unemployment's going up, and it's currently twice as high for young people.
Johnson says many young people are doing it tough and punishing them won't help.
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