The release yesterday of the McClure report on social welfare reform has met with largely bipartisan support from Australia’s political parties, although this is likely to change when the government announces which recommendations it intends to adopt.
The report recommends the replacement of a range of welfare payments with a single payment accompanied by a series of rewards and penalties.
The welfare debate forms part of the Howard Government’s policy of “mutual obligation”, a philosophical idea that calls upon welfare recipients to do something in return for government assistance.