Recently a person was found guilty of a $17,000 benefit theft. At the conclusion of the court case this person was sentenced to 300 hours community work, and had begun repayments of the debt at $20 per week.
I have no intention of detailing here the research I have been engaged in. However, I ask that the public take into consideration the enormous time that it will take to repay the amount stolen, the effect of interest, which should be taken into account, and the correlation of the hourly rate which this punishment applies to the community work sentence.
Wish I could receive an income for unskilled work hours at this rate. I wonder if you will reach the same conclusion as I have?
Crime does pay!

Barry H Walker, Mt Maunganui.