A few weeks ago, I was invited to speak to a sizable group of Melbourne activists campaigning to stop the federal government’s new Work for the Dole scheme. Various tactics are in plan to stop businesses replacing paid workers with unpaid workers, and for the not-for-profit welfare sector to resist any involvement with this latest attack on the unemployed.

The latest McClure report on welfare reform was a major topic of conversation. I asked what people thought of the proposal to increase access to cheap credit such as the No Interest Loans Scheme run by Good Shepherd Microfinance – a Catholic not-for-profit.