There’s been significant beneficiary bashing from the ACT party, who seem to think the free market will magically make people not poor.

Plot twist, that won’t happen, and we’ve seen why in the last few decades. They claim that they’re against wastage, but then decided to go in a coalition with Māori and spend significantly on schemes that are going to have on small impacts, on communities that yes have been marginalised but have received huge increases in financial support in the last labour government. Labour wants to focus on the working class, and those who cannot work, and not bash them for not being able to “pull themselves up by the bootstraps” as ACT wants them to.

Therefore labour will:

• Investigate the increase in main benefits to ensure that those who cannot work, have enough support to live in a cost of living crisis.

• increase social housing supply to support communities where housing may be an issue.

• provide funding for community housing schemes to support arrangements for those groups who require different housing (large family groups, and accessible requirements)

• introduce fair pay agreements to ensure that the working class can negotiate in a collective manner for suitable working conditions and remuneration.

• repeal any union busting legislation that continues to hamstring collective bargaining

• investigate funding wider dental care for those on community services cards, or wider groups.