As many as half-a-dozen protesters of the second wave of welfare reforms have been arrested today at the Ministry of Social Development's Auckland regional office.
The protesters, part of the Auckland Action Against Poverty (AAAP) group, reportedly entered the Ellerslie building and chained themselves to equipment. Other protesters unfurled a banner at the site.
Police were arresting several of the protesters, said Herald reporter Simon Collins, who was at the scene.
Former Green Party MP Sue Bradford was among the group but there was no immediate confirmation if she had been arrested.
Earlier today, the group made a statement.
"We believe that the Government's ongoing attacks on beneficiaries are nothing less than a brutal assault on the well-being of hundreds of thousands of children - and adults - who are dependent on the state for survival," said AAAP spokeswoman Sarah Thompson.
The long-awaited second bill in the Government's two-stage welfare reform programme, introduced in Parliament yesterday, extends work-testing in principle to sole parents with no children under 5 and to sickness beneficiaries - although sick people will still be given temporary exemptions.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said people had a right to voice their views but she hoped they were keeping safe and being respectful to staff.
- Herald Online
