Posted
For all its talk of reducing welfare and entitlements, the Federal Government continues to prop up non-viable businesses while treating politician and executive pay as off limits.
Topics: federal-government, welfare, industrial-relations
Posted
A central Victorian welfare agency says it is still too early to tell what a potential merger will mean for its staff.
Topics: charities-and-community-organisations, welfare, bendigo-3550
Posted
The Liberal Member for the seat of McMillan, Russell Broadbent, is calling for the reinstatement of benefits for single parents with older children.
Topics: parenting, welfare, activism-and-lobbying, federal-parliament, warragul-3820, sale-3850
Posted
| UpdatedThe NSW Government has conceded too many Aboriginal children are in state care.
A group of Aboriginal grandmothers will rally outside the NSW Parliament today calling for the return of young family members.
Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward says the 6,000 Aboriginal children in out-of-home care around NSW is too many, even though the number continues to rise.
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, welfare, family-and-children, stolen-generations, sydney-2000, gunnedah-2380, nsw
Posted
By trying to redefine our understanding of "fairness" and "poverty", the Australian conservative movement is paving the way for its pro-business, anti-welfare agenda.
Topics: federal-government, poverty, welfare
Posted
| UpdatedThe National Farmers' Federation has presented its drought policy wishlist to the Federal Government, but it's not putting a figure on how much its proposals might be worth.
Topics: welfare, activism-and-lobbying, farm-labour, drought, community-development, federal-government, livestock, agribusiness, rural, community-organisations, mental-health, parliament-house-2600
Posted
| UpdatedThe Financial Services Council has proposed increasing the age at which people can access their superannuation, and reviewing the assets and income test for the age pension.
Topics: superannuation, welfare, business-economics-and-finance, banking, australia
Posted
| UpdatedA social welfare group working in Bidwill says it is gravely concerned about the New South Wales Government's plans to overhaul the public housing estate.
Topics: social-policy, welfare, community-and-society, housing, government-and-politics, drugs-and-substance-abuse, poverty, bidwill-2770
Posted
| UpdatedWhat's it like to grow up in Bidwill? The ABC asks kids and teenagers living in the suburb for their thoughts and their hopes for the future.
Topics: youth, unemployment, urban-development-and-planning, welfare, poverty, community-and-society, bidwill-2770, nsw, australia
Posted
| UpdatedFor many of residents of Bidwill, what started as a short stay in public housing has turned into years and generations of unemployment and welfare reliance.
Topics: unemployment, urban-development-and-planning, welfare, youth, poverty, community-and-society, bidwill-2770, nsw, australia
Posted
The Federal Government is reviewing an application for carer payments from a Sunshine Coast family whose toddler is fighting the deadly meningococcal disease.
Topics: meningococcal-disease, welfare, federal-government, child-health-and-behaviour, pacific-paradise-4564, maroochydore-4558
Posted
| UpdatedIf Tony Abbott were a racehorse, you would train him up as a sprinter, not a stayer.
First he allowed his strong argument in favour of ending subsidies to become an attack on the conditions of low-paid factory workers. Then he blew an opportunity to strike Labor over its union links.
As the Government moves on to Joe Hockey's overdue debate about entitlements and responsibilities, the arguments will need to be more refined, targeted and consistent than they have been on industry policy.
Topics: federal-government, welfare, abbott-tony
Posted
| UpdatedTreasurer Joe Hockey has given his strongest warning yet that the May budget will contain cuts to welfare, warning "too many tax dollars" have been spent on family payments as well as corporate handouts.
In a speech to the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Mr Hockey said the "cashed up private sector" would also be asked to do more.
"The structural position of our budget is unsustainable... Individuals must do more for themselves, they must become more self-reliant," he said.
"The business sector must shoulder more of the burden."
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, business-economics-and-finance, welfare, community-and-society, australia
Posted
| UpdatedSingle parents who were last year moved off the sole parent payment say their children are suffering social and emotional distress as well as poor nutrition, a survey shows.
Topics: welfare, community-and-society, government-and-politics, federal-government, family-and-children, australia
Posted
| UpdatedSocial Services Minister Kevin Andrews has labelled Australia's welfare system unsustainable. Mr Andrews says in 10 to 15 years' time Australia could find itself in the same situation that some European countries are in.
ABC Fact Check takes a look at Australia's projected welfare spending.
Topics: welfare, liberals, federal-government, social-policy, aged-care, australia
Posted
The federal government's paid parental leave scheme promotes women's self-reliance by increasing their connection to the paid workforce and their return to work.
Topics: welfare, parenting, industrial-relations
Posted
A local aged care operator says a proposal to use unpaid workers won't address skills shortages in the industry.
Topics: aged-care, welfare, federal-government, local-government, broken-hill-2880
Posted
The federal government is set to re-introduce a compulsory "work-for-the-dole" scheme.
Topics: unemployment, welfare, nowra-2541
Posted
| UpdatedNewstart recipients forced to work for their welfare payments could be asked to volunteer in aged care facilities.
Topics: welfare, government-and-politics, federal-government, aged-care, australia
Posted
| UpdatedA welfare advocate has launched a bid for a seat in South Australian Parliament, saying he is confident he can meet new demands on independents and minor parties.
Uniting Communities advocacy and communications manager Mark Henley will take leave from his position as he seeks a spot in the Legislative Council at the March state election.
Topics: states-and-territories, state-parliament, elections, charities, charities-and-community-organisations, community-and-society, welfare, sa, adelaide-5000
Posted
| UpdatedAmong the surprises revealed during briefings over the Abbott Government's paid parental leave legislation is a plan to use constitutional powers to override existing contracts and agreements.
Topics: parenting, welfare, abbott-tony
Posted
| UpdatedTasmania's Council of Social Services is urging the Federal Government not to punish disadvantaged people for previous governments' poor economic management.
Federal Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews has ordered a review of welfare spending, describing it as unsustainable.
One in three Tasmanians relies on welfare payments and TasCOSS boss Tony Reidy says the Government should fix its revenue shortage instead of cutting spending.
Topics: federal-government, welfare, tas, hobart-7000, launceston-7250
Posted
| UpdatedThe Federal Government says the age pension will be excluded from a wide-ranging review of the welfare system, despite warning that current welfare spending is "unsustainable".
A review into the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and the Newstart allowance is due to be handed to the Government in February and is likely to recommend making it tougher for people to qualify for the payments.
Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews says the total cost of income support payments has now topped $70 billion a year, with one in five Australians receiving an income support payment.
He has asked his department to carry out a review of the welfare system, with a view to ensuring it is "simple, fair and affordable".
But Mr Andrews has ruled out touching the age pension.
Topics: welfare, community-and-society, social-policy, government-and-politics, australia
Posted
| UpdatedThe welfare system is being reviewed, with warnings spending is unsustainable.
Posted
| UpdatedAustralian Council of Social Services chief executive Dr Cassandra Goldie says she supports a welfare system based on a single payment and a presumption that people want to work.
Topics: welfare, unemployment, australia