A Great Debate

Yesterday, former Labour MP John Tamihere argued that benefits should no longer be administered by a Government Agency, but by the voluntary sector who already work to improve the lives of poor people. He suggested that Maori beneficaries should be administered by the National Urban Maori Authority, and that the Salvation Army, Presbyterian Support Services and similar agencies could also work in the area.

Now the Salvation Army has commented on Tamihere's suggestion saying there should be a debate.

I think Tamihere's suggestion is a real step in the right direction. The agencies he has mentioned, plus the others like them, would do a fabulous job of distributing benefits as they will ensure that Michael Savage's description of his social security system as "Applied Christianity" is kept true - providing a hand to those in need during hard times and having direct access to other programmes to help move them out of dependency.

The best thing about Tamihere's model is that the agencies that care about people are working with beneficiaries - not a faceless Government bureaucracy that tries to spend as little as possible to avoid political embarassment.