It seems to be clear that the 'mutual obligation' has less to do with what the words indicate, but more to do with 'reducing reliance on income support' & saving the government money. it would appear that the opposition has nothing to say on the subject. From The Australiaqn, today, at: http://news.com.au/0,3546,987002%255E421,00.html Pensions in PM's firing line By DENNIS SHANAHAN 26jul00 SUPPORTING parents and disability welfare recipients face having to complete volunteer work or community services to continue to qualify for their pensions. A blueprint for welfare reform just received by the Government proposes an extension of the principle of mutual obligation beyond the existing work-for-the-dole scheme. Under proposals before the federal Government, welfare recipients who are capable would be encouraged to enter a "more fulfilling occupation" of their time. Federal cabinet met all day in Sydney yesterday to discuss future political strategy for the Coalition after the introduction of the GST. Welfare reform is one of the Coalition's priorities. Mutual obligation � the principle of welfare recipients giving something back to the community in return for taxpayer-funded support � is at the heart of the Howard Government's recasting of the welfare system. John Howard said yesterday the welfare review provided a "whole series of recommendations about the future direction of welfare in Australia". "It's appropriate halfway through the Government's second term, with tax reform now a fact of life and going reasonably well � indeed, some would say very well � it is proper that we turn our eyes to the future," he said. The work-for-the-dole scheme, in which the young unemployed must participate to keep benefits after long-term unemployment, has proved highly successful, practically and electorally. The same principle of mutual obligation in work for the dole was the central theme of the Government's interim review of welfare in Australia, the McClure report, which provides the basis of the final report just delivered to the Government. Expanding mutual obligation beyond work for the dole is the most significant finding of the report, although it stresses that the approach would need to be completely different for recipients of disability pensions and supporting mother's pensions. It suggests that volunteer work may provide "pathways" to a more fulfilling time for welfare recipients. It also suggests that there is a need to build "participatory structures" between those on welfare and the wider community to prevent welfare recipients being isolated and trapped in welfare dependency. There is also a heavy emphasis on the need for early intervention with welfare recipients so that a cycle of dependency is not established. The Prime Minister said the Government guaranteed the maintenance of the social security safety net for those in need. "There's no longer an argument in Australia about the need to provide support for the needy and the underprivileged in our society," Mr Howard told ABC radio. But he said there were different ways of delivering welfare to ensure that people who were not entitled to it did not receive it. "And there are ways of ensuring that people who are on welfare are encouraged to the maximum extent possible to participate in work of different varieties in different kinds of community service." Mr Howard said work for the dole had been successful, but there were other ways "in which we can improve the reintroduction of people who've been out of contact with the labour market for a long time, smooth their reintroduction into jobs". The Department of Family and Community Services yesterday released the results of pilot programs for mutual obligation for people receiving parenting payment. Under the pilot programs, some sole parents had to attend an interview with Centrelink staff, who aimed to help them reduce their reliance on income support. The department said 85 per cent of people involved in the pilot agreed that the interview should be compulsory for all or some parenting-payment recipients. More than 66 per cent agreed that an activity in addition to parenting should be demanded of those receiving the payment. -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
