Editorial: Harsh to cut dole for travel

OUR Government seems determined to put as much stress on beneficiaries as possible.

The latest strike is the loss of benefits for those who dare to leave the country.

I always thought people on benefits had every right to travel overseas. They are human after all, with families who have births, deaths and marriages, and, like many New Zealanders, have relatives who live in Australia or the Pacific Islands at the very least.

But thousands of those on benefits are losing their money - money that is their entitlement - because they are not advising Work and Income of travel.

If beneficiaries are not aware, then they need to made aware - and it is Work and Income's responsibility to make it clear. As a Citizens Advice co-ordinator said recently, beneficiaries can get a "nasty surprise" if they go overseas and don't tell how long they will be away, why they are going, and how the travel has been funded.

Beneficiaries have enough nasty surprises in their lives without Work and Income piling on more.

The public perception is, of course, that numerous beneficiaries are swanning off to the sun in Aussie or Fiji rather than looking for work. That picture is about as real as the pimped life of Sky Television and Egyptian cotton sheets some people ascribe to the inmates of our jails.

It's White Ribbon Day today - a day when many say they can't understand what makes people resort to violence. And, yes, people's action are individual responsibilities. But adding more stress by cutting off a person's income is a step too far.

It should only be done for the worst infraction of the rules. That more than 30,000 New Zealanders had their benefits cut last financial year for travelling overseas without telling officials indicates a worrying ruthlessness.