3News » Home
Full Story

Paula Bennett denies breaching Privacy Act

36 comments | Post Comment email Email printer friendly Print    Text Size:
aA
aA
aA
Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett

Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett

video
Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:00a.m.

The Minister of Social Development, Paula Bennett, is being accused of breaking the Privacy Act after releasing the financial details of two solo mothers.

The two women, who have three children each and both get the DPB, are also studying nursing and education.

As such, they qualified for the training assistance allowance, until National altered the allowance and cut them out.

The pair complained to the Herald on Sunday newspaper, then without their permission, Ms Bennett publicly disclosed how much money the state was already giving them.

Campbell Live spoke to Ms Bennett and Green MP Sue Bradford about the breach accusations.

Become a fan of 3 News on Facebook and on Twitter.

Comments [36]

worried
22 Oct 2009 8:28p.m.

Worried!!!!
New Zealand what are we all letting happen..

STOP NOW
THE PRIVACY ACT MEANS PRIVACY

John needs to sort it out.

praveena
02 Aug 2009 8:57a.m.

well paula shows her power and useing her past histry as a single mum and thats the fact.she needs a to let it out...we work and pay tax !and her wages.what has national gvmt did 4r us so far...im a single hard working mum,,im strugling.who care about it .not the gvmt !i have too...minister only care about there stomack full .not 4r poor people..we love labour gvmt.cuss we are labours...

Dale
01 Aug 2009 11:28p.m.

The Privacy Act means privacy. What gives the Minister the right to break this? Must admit it's a great way of quashing debate in a Democracy. I think this Minister will crash and burn in the next few months by sticking her foot in it again. A bit like Christine Rankin being Families Commissioner! What a joke, getting more hilarious each day.

Gayle
01 Aug 2009 1:24p.m.

What Paula Bennett did is despicable, she breeched the privacy act. But normal tax payers need to stop whining about bludgers on benefits as everyone is entitled to pay their bills and people on benefits pay taxes too!

Jaydon Murray
31 Jul 2009 9:56p.m.

Paula Bennett has done exactly that Breached Privacy - I worked for the Commonwealth Governtment of Australia for 15years in an enviroment which is known as the largest Financial assistance organisation throughout the world - Social Welfare...All those who received financial assistance were treated as individuals and all their information held within the department was kept confidential, not even other government agencies or politicians could access their records. Customers/clients information is regarded as CONFIDENTIAL meaning just that...

David
30 Jul 2009 6:44p.m.

Its funny to look at all the bigotted tax payers who believe that they should have a say in the lives of beneficiaries.. the average wage is $40,000 roughly a year so in tax that is 8,000 when you divide that by the number of beneficiaries around 300,000 (inlcuding unemplyment, dpb, dieing people or chronically ill people on the invalids benefit each normal tax payer per year pays the equivelent of 20 cents per year to every beneficiary.

Get over it, seriously corporate tax's pay for the majority of beneficiaries, individual tax payers think that 20 cents per year gives them the individual right to take away peoples privacy, freedoms and dignities.

Descrimination is supposedly illegal, if I am dying on a benefit I have the right to be able to pay my bills and afford the cost of health care that will ease my suffering.

And because the state caused that to be the case they are the ones that should be footing the bill.

Paula Bennett believes she has the right as the head of the one ministry where descrimination is still practiced on a daily basis particularly in respect to marital status testing and means testing to supercede the law at every turn.

She has every qualification needed to be a sitting National M.P no conscience.


aly
30 Jul 2009 4:08p.m.

Paula's information is selective.. Bad taste to bring up a previous failure by the mum to get free of the benefit. Enterprise allowance is not a 10k grant .. you go OFF the benefit completely and get 200 a week for 3 months then 150 a week for 3 months .. to say its a 10k grant is misleading. Paula needs to deal to the fact that solo mums are paying secondary tax on the first dollar they earn on a job .. basically taking a 20 hour a week job for a solo mum makes them worse off a week than not working at all .. There is no incentive to get off the benefit thats the problem!!

Jim
30 Jul 2009 4:01p.m.

Go Westie wheeler! You're O for owesome x

Paul
30 Jul 2009 2:44p.m.

Paula Bennett is the best thing that ever happened to social welfare - she's keeping it as real as it gets... a future Prime Minister (please God)

Aki
30 Jul 2009 12:25p.m.

Paula Bennett feels that its OK to release this information about the 2 womens benefits because she says that they put themselves out there by going to the media, about the TIA cuts. Two totally different things I think. However, seeing as she has now spoken publicly (on Campbell live) on how she had received benefits and study assistance, then I would very much like to see exactly what she was earning as a beneficiary, and how much assistance she received whilst studying over the years.
Methinks, that it will be a cold day in hell when she releases this information!
Maybe some other Minister will help, from perhaps Ummmm... Labour?

Post a comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide here
Name:
Email: (Won't be published)
Comment:



3News Video 3News Audio