The very concept that profit is evil seems to be much in vogue as the agents of reaction battle against the New Zealand government’s endeavour to provide services. A sad case of dizzying paranoia which won’t help one person in need of assistance, education or other benefit.
NZ – Minister Refuses To Guarantee Social Bonds Won’t Be Manipulated For Profit
Scoop
Fears that the social bonds experiment on the mentally ill will turn into a simple drive to make money were reinforced in Parliament today, says New Zealand First.
“Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman refused to give a guarantee that private companies, even foreign interests, would not put profit first over the care of people,” says Spokesperson for Social Development Darroch Ball.
“We are in now in a farcical situation where the government cannot even give the public the assurance that social bonds won’t be able to be manipulated.
“Social bonds will have such a massive impact on society. We should not be allowing this experiment to be implemented on our most vulnerable people.
NZ – Backers Banking On Social Bonds Cash?
Scoop
The Government is refusing to say what the $29 million it has set aside for its controversial social bonds programme is for, raising suspicions it is an upfront payment to the project backers, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says.
A briefing paper to Jonathan Coleman and Cabinet committee members notes a key component of the Government’s social bonds model is ‘payment by results’, meaning the Government – or taxpayers – only pays out cash for successful outcomes ‘once they have been delivered and measured’.
“Dr Coleman has previously said the $29 million is for four projects. The paper talks about a tagged contingency of the same amount for just two pilots.
“Questioned today on exactly where the money would be going and whether it was a ‘carrot’ for the backers who aren’t expected to see the required results for up to seven years, Dr Coleman turned inexplicably coy.