You’ve got to hand it to this government: it really knows how to make it obvious to everyone which groups it regards with contempt. It puts a dollar value on them.
Soon-to-be Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour is repeatedly attacking proposed solutions to inequities while ignoring the problem that they’re designed to solve. Or he simply pretends the problem doesn’t exist at all.
His latest faux-outrage, initially delivered by proxy through Act MP Laura McLure, was directed at ACC, which, according to Seymour, has policies that are racist because they are targeting Māori and Pasifika. Need, not race, should be the measure, Act keeps saying.
But the ACC policy Seymour and co are targeting aims to reduce workplace injuries in manufacturing, where Māori and Pasifika stand out disproportionately in injury compensation claims. The sector, employing 230,000, carries one of the highest risks of workplace injury and harm.
We’re not talking paper cuts; people can be maimed or killed in manufacturing and those injuries cost about $1.23 billion a year, according to Project Whakahaumaru, an Employment and Manufacturers Association (EMA) report and action plan supported by ACC.
“Improving the health, safety and wellbeing of our workers is critical, and it is imperative that we, as business leaders, take decisive action to ensure the survival and prosperity of our industry,” the EMA said.
That action included a research- and evidence-based programme to reduce injuries, and their costs. It wasn’t some woke government policy; it was driven by the private sector, which wanted to keep workers safe. Which is nice.
But Act wasn’t worried about the evidence, and maybe not the injuries, either. It was simply another opportunity to peddle the lie that Māori are getting special treatment at everyone else’s expense.
Next thing, Seymour will be suggesting the government should abolish Statistics New Zealand because it annoyingly keeps counting Māori, which in turn highlights need.
Maybe we could abolish the statistics we gather about women while we’re at it. Because this government thought it would be a good idea to shunt through legislation that effectively ignores the disparities in pay for women. The changes to the Equal Pay Act stopped 33 existing claims for pay equity in their tracks.
The outraged public response gave the government a political panic attack, and it went on a blitz trying to say nothing had changed. Yeah, that’s kind of the problem. Nothing has changed, and this government has just made it harder for change to happen.
Women working in low-paid, female-dominated industries or roles have been fighting this for ever. The process to challenge pay inequity was glacial, but it was inching along.
Then National, at the urging of Act, slammed on the brakes (who’s actually driving?) and told those women who had been working through the process in good faith that they could take a hike.
When it came to selling the law to the public – and taking the subsequent flak – both parties were in a hurry to push women to the front.
Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden was the messenger for Act, just like Minister for Children Karen Chhour gets to deliver the news when Act wants to sell its bootcamps that are locking up Māori kids. Nothing like delegating the shitty jobs to women. Toughen them up for perpetually banging their heads against the glass ceiling.
When the political blow-back failed to cease, National wheeled out Nicola Willis to try to justify the decision. But as the saying goes, in politics, if you’re explaining then you’re losing.
So Chris Bishop rushed to the rescue, accusing Labour of lying over the pay equity changes. His face looked longer than usual and not very straight while trying to mansplain this one. Maybe Bishop could save his Ted talk for when he’s in a rest home and needs someone to wipe his butt.
National and possibly Act will pay for this blunder. Although the issue was low-paid occupations, women across the socio-economic and political spectrum won’t forget this in a hurry. That’s because, on average, women get paid less for doing the same work in all sorts of industries (and then go home and do more unpaid work than the other half of the species).
This unfairness is deeply entrenched and women know it in their bones (and bank balances). For the current government, low-paid women are a figure in a budget spreadsheet that they just put a line through.
And the irony of ironies is that the government has just tabled the Regulatory Standards Bill, which, according to Seymour, will improve the lawmaking process and quality of legislation. Weird. I must have missed the bit in the bill that said it would encourage governments to improve regulation and democracy by shunting through legislation without any scrutiny, consultation or due process.
Never mind. At least Judith got some new helicopters.
Austerity’s a bitch.
