Lindsay Mitchell
lindsaymitchell.blogspot.com
Lindsay Mitchell has been researching and commenting on welfare since 2001. Many of her articles have been published in mainstream media and she has appeared on radio, tv and before select committees discussing issues relating to welfare. Lindsay is also an artist who works under commission and exhibits at Wellington, New Zealand, galleries.
Long-term benefit dependency is growing, and it was growing before Covid, though the advent of the virus has obviously played a role.
The blue line shows the effect of the first March 2020 lockdown and then returns to near ‘normality’.
The orange line however continues to climb and the gap between the two extends.
A significant contributor to this is psychological and psychiatric conditions – rising sharply after the first lockdown – keeping people on Jobseeker HCD (Health Condition and Disability). Over the same time frame:
There are also over 32,000 adults on a Supported Living Payment (ex Invalid benefit) suffering from pyschological or psychiatric disorders. That’s up around 4,000 over the same period.
These numbers are very sad. It’s just horrible to think of thousands of mentally unwell people unable to get treatment and live functioning lives.
Please share this article so that others can discover The BFD.
