Work and Income Manager tells more lies

The wife of a former gang leader caught driving while her licence was suspended had her towing and impound fees paid by Work and Income .WINZ deputy Chief Executive Patricia Reade responds:

I can say that paying for cars to be returned to people who are not legally entitled to drive is totally unacceptable. In exceptional circumstances WINZ will provide repayable loans to clients for car towage and impoundment fees. This would only be considered if the car was essential due to illness, disability or employment.

Read is spouting complete rubbish, and not for the first time. The money in question was not paid to get this gang members wife into employment, or because of illness or disability. WINZ did not check if the person has a license or whether the car was registered and warranted.

WINZ is not required to check if the person needed the car due to illness, disability or employment. It doesn't even check to see if the person owned the car. All it requires that the person has an "immediate and essential need" and meets an income and asset test.

That need was to get the car back and minimise the towage and storage fees. Being unlicensed, unwarranted and unregistered doesn't come into it. This is not a one off - payment is even made to drunk drivers who get their cars impounded. If it is unacceptable to provide grants to unlicensed drivers, surely you'd think Reade would at least require people to produce drivers licences when applying for a loan, instead of telling porkies.