Welfare State
Despite a rapid increase in wealth and living standards over the past few decades, more Australians are dependent on the public purse than ever before. Today, almost one in six working age Australians relies on welfare for all or part of their income. A growing welfare state means an ever higher tax take is needed, bringing more taxpayers in to the welfare system. How can government promote individual responsibility and self-reliance, while still providing a safety net? How can patterns of joblessness and dependency be broken?
Publications
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Do Not Damage and Disturb: On Child Protection Failures and the Pressure on Out-of-Home Care in Australia
| 03 Nov 2011 | Policy MonographsThis monograph shows that the rising size, cost, and complexity of the out-of-home care system in Australia is directly linked... Read More...
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Working Towards Self-Reliance: Three Lessons for Disability Pension Reform
| 05 Oct 2011 | Policy MonographsTo successful reduce the number of pensioners on disability support, policymakers must apply the lessons of other welfare... Read More...
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When Prophecy Fails
| 09 Sep 2011 | Special PublicationsIn their 2009 book, The Spirit Level, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argued for the ‘benefits’ of income redistribution.... Read More...
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Selection, Migration and Integration: Why Multiculturalism Works in Australia (And Fails in Europe)
| 01 Sep 2011 | Policy MonographsAustralia’s migrants are extremely well integrated by international standards, particularly Europe. The reason why multiculturalism... Read More...
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Populate and Perish? Modelling Australia's Demographic Future
| 07 Oct 2010 | Policy MonographsSince the publication of the 2010 Intergenerational Report, Australia has been debating its demographic future and whether... Read More...
Opinion & Commentary
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Italy defaults on debt and sends lenders broke? So be it
| 15 Nov 2011 | CrikeyThe federal government will need to cut spending to ensure a surplus in 2012-13.... Read More
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Liberals Drop Ball in Super Free-For-All
| 14 Nov 2011 | Australian Financial ReviewLifting superannuation to 12% is wrong.... Read More
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Care system still abusing forgotten children.
| 03 Nov 2011 | The Sydney Morning HeraldIn 2009 the federal parliament apologised to the Forgotten Australians who were physically, sexually, and emotionally abused ... Read More
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Changing expectations of Aboriginal school attendance
| 18 Oct 2011 | The DrumIf my son wasn't hassled every time he was late to school then he would probably continue to be late. If there were no consequences, ... Read More
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The welfare revolution that has passed disability pensioners by
| 12 Oct 2011 | Online OpinionUnemployment has fallen. Single parents are returning to the workforce in droves. Yet the number of people on Disability ... Read More
Ideas@TheCentre
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Hardly fair to vulnerable children
| 03 Feb 2012Restore citizen-control over the child protection services or watch it fail....
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The great Medicare swindle
| 20 Jan 2012Basic market disciplines are needed to control the cost of Medicare and prevent over-servicing....
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Nudge, nudge, here come the Germans
| 20 Jan 2012Germans can teach us a lot when it comes to family and social policy....
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Disability pension needs tough love
| 16 Dec 2011With the number of people on the Disability Support Pension continuing to grow, government needs to introduce stringent reforms ...
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Paternalist not punitive management of underclass
| 09 Dec 2011Government should intervene in highly dysfunctional families to ensure children are given every opportunity to fulfil the ...
