Title: Faint Praise for a Chimera: Selectivity versus Universalism in Social Policy
Abstract: This paper will investigate current Australian social policy directions by looking beneath the stated intent of the Government's programs in order to reveal the purpose of what is a murky policy process. In recent years, the Federal Government has announced: - the 'work till you drop' policy which is supposed to stave off the demographic tyranny of an ageing Australia, - an expanded mutual obligation program which would, in Minister Mal Brough's (2001) words, 'flush out dole bludgers', - compelling single parents to work instead of staying home to look after their children, - slashing the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP) combined with forcing young Aborigines to leave their remote homelands to get training (Karvelas 2005), and - plans to stamp out 'malingerers' from amongst the ranks of disability support pensioners. This paper will interrogate the ideological, metaphorical, mythological and the present-day aspects of this Government's social policy chimera. It will use the insights gained to argue for a Basic Income supplemented with a Job Guarantee.
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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