Social Welfare minister Paula Bennett came under criticism when it was announced that single mothers receiving the Domestic Purposes Benefit would no longer be able to get a training allowance for university study, while Bennett, who has used her own background as a mother on the DPB for political gain, was able to attend university during the 1990’s with the training allowance. Her actions in the past few days however have caused a much greater critical response. When two single mothers; Jennifer Johnston of Invercargill, and Natasha Fuller, of Cambridge, spoke to the New Zealand Herald about how the cuts are going to affect their attempts to gain a university education, Bennett released private information about the welfare benefits the two received.

Since then the two women have been attacked by callers on right-wing talk back stations. One of them told Radio New Zealand: “It’s been really heartbreaking but they feel they have the right to comment. Why? Because Ms Bennett raised my details with the press and she knew that that was going to happen.” she went onto say that “I think the whole point of this was to intimidate us out of our democratic right to protest the government’s decision.” Its the kind of behaviour from a government minister you wouldn’t expect to be legal in New Zealand, and you’d be right, as releasing the details of individuals welfare payments if a blatant violation of the Privacy Act. The privacy commissioner told the Herald that she would consider any complaint made against Bennett, and complaints from opposition parties are inevitable. Will Bennett step down as a minister? Will she be sacked? This scandal will be a test of how seriously this government takes the privacy rights of its citizens.