After the Greens exposed that main benefits were wrongfully cut due to processing delays as part of Louise Upston’s rushed laws, the Minister is refusing to apologise or give clarity over the error, passing the blame to her Ministry instead.
“People’s livelihoods were put on the line due to Louise Upston and Christopher Luxon’s use of urgency and automated decision making which left countless beneficiaries without the means to survive,” says Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March.
“Despite warnings from the Green Party on the risks of using automated decision making, the Government decided to rush mandatory reviews anyway.
“This policy was never about supporting people into employment, or ensuring people get their legal entitlements, but rather handing additional tools to MSD to cancel people’s support.
“Louise Upston has consistently shown that she has no regard for people on the benefit, nor for good lawmaking, and is now hiding from accountability. It’s time for this Government to go.
“Putting the blame on her Ministry is unfair as they’re simply operationalising her political decisions, which have directly led to people not being able to put food on the table or heat their homes,” Menéndez March says.
While the Prime Minister has apologised, Louise Upston is refusing to front up to media and Parliament to explain how many people were affected or when she first found out.