Labour, Greens slam National's promise to drug test unemployed beneficiaries

Labour and the Greens have labelled National's promise to drug test unemployed beneficiaries cruel and deplorable, while Winston Peters has warned it borders on fascist.However ACT's leader is on board, saying "people should have to work for their drugs".National also wants to lower payment rates for people who have received a benefit for more than two years and double the benefit stand down period if they repeatedly leave jobs without good reason.Its social development spokesperson Louise Upston said drug testing was entirely reasonable and it was expected of many people to keep or get jobs.Labour's campaign chair Kieran McAnulty told RNZ the idea behind the policy was "frankly rubbish" and "quite offensive" to people who were desperately trying to find a job.He said the government's focus should be on creating jobs, not trying to look tough."If the National Party want to randomly drug test beneficiaries, then why don't they randomly drug test themselves?" he said."It's a tried and true Tory approach. Kick the beneficiaries, and hope that it gives them a bounce in the polls."McAnulty said his past experience as a case manager at Work and Income had taught him that people were not on the Jobseeker by choice.Labour's campaign chair Kieran McAnulty.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone"The whole premise behind it is that these people are taking the piss, and they're not," he said. "These aren't bludgers."Earlier this week, Labour confirmed it would not campaign on reversing the new Jobseeker "parental test" - introduced by the coalition - which prevented many 18- and 19-year-olds from getting the benefit.McAnulty said it did not like the policy but the party needed to make some trade-offs to ensure its fiscal plan added up.Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said National's policy was cruel."Shame on National," she said."[It's] embarrassing, distraction, lazy politics of picking on people who are already struggling. This is just old, lazy, beneficiary bashing because they do not have the solution to create jobs."National said 200,000 jobs were on the way - but Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said they were painting too rosy a picture, citing unemployment at an 11-year high."People can't work Luxon's ghost jobs," she said.Peters warns of attack on freedoms, Seymour wants people to work for their drugsNew Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the policy could be a massive attack on people's freedoms."How quickly can that go, straight from there to fascist behaviour? So you've got to be very concerned about those sorts of suggestions."New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.RNZ / Baz MacdonaldNational leader Christopher Luxon said he was open to MPs being drug tested, and Peters said he would agree to that.ACT leader David Seymour was supportive of National's drug testing plan, but said its proposal to lower the rate of payment for those who have been on the benefit for two of the previous three years was a "cop-out."Seymour said if people believed being on benefit required them to be ready for work, rather than a lifestyle of being dependent, then they must be able to pass a drug test."I look at guys that get up and go to work at five in the morning, go to a depot, get in a ute, and get driven out into the forest, work like hell in a dangerous environment. Why should those people have to pass a drug test so they can keep getting paid, when the alternative is to get stoned, stay in bed, and actually get the money from people from people who do have to go and work?" he said."That's not right, people should have to work for their drugs."On National's plan to lower the benefit rate for longer-term jobseekers, Seymour said he preferred ACT's plan to put beneficiaries on electronic income management."I'd much rather say we'll give you the same amount on a plastic card that works at Pak'nSave, that will make sure your rent and power are paid, and then people say 'what about freedom?' No problem, get a job," he said.