A new drug-testing regime for people on the dole is an example of "beneficiary bashing" and may make life worse for already disadvantaged children, says a Whangarei Child Poverty Action Group advocate.
Ngaire Rae said there was no hard evidence that people on Work and Income benefits were more likely than others to use drugs.
The Ministry of Social Development's policy to cut the benefit if people fail a pre-employment drug test is "punitive" and will further disadvantage children already living in poverty, she says.
The new policy has a proviso that people with children will never lose more than half of their benefit and retain their full supplementary assistance, such as the accommodation supplement.
But Ms Rae said having only half a benefit coming into a household would mean children already identified as living in poverty had even less.