Declaring that “the days of easy welfare for younger Australians are over”, the Minister for Social Services, Kevin Andrews, has announced that the Abbott government will promote a system of “earn or learn” for people under 30 and put in place a review of the Disability Support Pension.

Speaking at a press conference in Melbourne, Andrews said new recipients of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) over the past 5 or 6 years would be expected to seek work if they were judged sufficiently able.

Andrews said: “The message is this: we expect people who are capable of working to do so.”

Around 800,000 people receive the DSP. Andrews said statistics indicated there was no point in reassessing most recipients after they have been on the payment for six years.

Andrews said the government would promote a system of “earn or learn” for people under the age of 30. Young people would be expected to participate in training programs or have a job search program. “We’re no longer going to support easy welfare for people who want to sit around on the couch at home,” Andrews said. [Read more…]