Larry Williams Drive

If we don’t watch out, we are going to end up in a situation, if we haven’t already, where we make the gap between getting the dole and getting paid for work become so small, that it again ends up being a smart move to just stay at home and collect free money rather than work for a living. Right now, the Government is considering a change to Working for Families that will only exacerbate this problem. Working for Families is money that is paid to families who work; the clue is in the name. But now the Government’s considering also giving the in-work tax credit to families who don’t work, families on the dole. Because a review on the desk of the Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni says anti-poverty groups argue this tax credit “should be paid to all families and not just those who are in paid work”. They argue the "payment was discriminatory or unfair, particularly given children were unable to choose whether their parents were working."  That's true. But there are other ways to support those children, like