At the moment, many claimants continue to receive their compensation at 80% of their former wages, even though the ACC says they are fit enough to work. Its main concern: that an increasing number of people are remaining on their scheme after their expected recovery time.

Under the proposed new rules, those capable of work, even in a position outside their field, will have three months to find a job. Claimants will also have to take jobs that pay less and have less status than the positions they held when they were injured. If there is no work in their area, they will be expected to move town to find employment. Those who refuse to comply with these rules face being switched from ACC payments to the unemployment benefit, which in most cases would be a substantial income drop.

Source - New Zealand Herald 19 May 1997 "Work-fit claimants face loss of compo" by Leanne Moore.

Sources - The Dominion 17 May 1997 "Kiwis underskilled in maths, science"; The Independent 23 May 1997 "Our schools turn out too many litigators, too few wealth creators" editorial by Bob Edlin

Source - Common Ground Vol 4 Issue 2 May 1997 "The campaign against workfare"

McCardle has also started to hear proposals from other regional groups, including one from Hamilton City Council staff. He says that the Hamilton and Christchurch proposals they were effectively "issuing a challenge" to the rest of the country which he hoped would be met by other communities.

Mature Employment Service co-ordinator Cora Baillie has been involved in developing the Communityworks plan. She says that community groups basically have two options with the coalition Government's "work-for-dole" plans : fight it or try and make it work. Baillie: "We concluded that the idea is rather like a tank where you can either lie in front of it and try and stop it or get on top and try to help drive it. We decided to try and drive it ..."

How many people could a Comunityworks-style programme cater for? The Christchurch community groups looked at what they thought was their maximum capacity and have decided that 500 people was their maximum. (This compares with the 17,900 official unemployed in Canterbury region). CEIG estimates the total cost of the project would be $5,109,146 with $665,125 of this involving one-off establishment costs. Their plan would call for 67 full-time jobs to be created to supervise, co-ordinate, and administer the project.

Source The Christchurch Press 24 May 1997 "Work plan for Canty" by Greg Jackson.

Peter McCardle would not comment on the details of his scheme, which is still being drawn up by a steering group of officials who are considering the consultative feedback from community and sector groups. McCardle: "Everyone I speak with, including interest groups, the unemployed, employers and the general public, understand that it is a nonsense to pay fit and able job-seekers to lose touch with the work ethic, lose their motivation, their dignity and their self-esteem..."

Sources - The Dominion 21 May 1997 "Dole-work legality questioned"; National Business Review 16 May 1997 "NZ First's dole policy has few supporters." Enterprise and Equity column by Steve Maharey

The McCardle scheme will see the unemployed working for about two days a week. This would reduce the displacement effect somewhat ... the SSC estimates that for every 10 jobs created under this scenario, up to 2.6 people will either lose their job or miss out on work they might otherwise have had. The displacement effect can be further reduced by using the voluntary, community and environmental sectors as the main source of workfare jobs.

Source - The Dominion 23 May 1997 "Scheming to make people work for the dole"

Source - The Dominion 23 May 1997 "Scheming to make people work for the dole"

Employees would work for wages not the benefit and would work under the same conditions as anyone else in the labour market. According to Maharey, the formerly unemployed would therefore find it easier to move in the private and public sector when jobs become available.

Source - National Business Review 16 May 1997 "NZ First's dole policy has few supporters." Enterprise and Equity column by Steve Maharey

The green tax route is a path already well trodden by several other European countries. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands have all established green tax commissions and are levying taxes on pollutants such as carbon, sulphur, toxic waste, fertilisers, water pollution, aircraft noise and batteries.

Source The Economist 24 May 1997 "Brown's Bite"

When Juppé was elected two years ago in the wake of Mr Chirac's presidential victory, both men promised to reduce the number of people out of work and to cut taxes. Instead, the jobless figure has risen from 11.5% in mid-1995 to 12.8% (3.3m people) at last count. Taxes have risen just as relentlessly, from 44.1% of GDP in the year before Mr Chirac became president, to a record 45.7% last year. The centre-right government went into this election promising to slash spending on welfare, reform the education system, and privatise major government business interests. Above all, they are determined that France will meet the conditions for joining the common European currency.

French Socialist leader Lionel Jospin is promising a plan to create 700,000 new jobs, half of them in the public sector, and to lower the standard work week from 39 to 35 hours with no loss of pay all without increasing overall taxes. Media reports say that his plans are uniting the French left, but few of even his own supporters believe he can deliver it. His job creation measures are also being met with incredulity elsewhere in Europe the plans would almost certainly make it harder for France to sign up to Europe's single currency.

Sources The Economist 24 May 1997 "Chirac and Juppe hope for change"; The Washington Post 22 May 1997 "French Welfare State at stake in Sunday's national election";