Welfare bill soars despite PM's aspirations
ALTHOUGH the Prime Minister, John Howard, wants Australia to move from a "welfare state to an opportunity society", new figures show welfare expenditure has increased every year since 1998, and at $90 billion rivals expenditure on health.
Despite record spending, some welfare experts are questioning whether it is enough, or is going to the right people, in view of the significant number of people who are missing out on essentials.
The new report, Welfare Expenditure Australia, by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Government's statistical agency, shows that spending on welfare rose from $57billion to $90billion from 1998-99 to 2005-06.
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Peter Saunders, a professorial fellow in the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of NSW, said: "Even though they are spending more, they are not spending enough to meet the need that is out there, or they are misdirecting what they do spend in some way."
In a speech at the Institute of Public Affairs on November 8 Mr Howard spoke of "continuing a great national project we have begun - the transition of Australia from a welfare state to an opportunity society". He later said he did not regard tax breaks for families as welfare.
Professor Saunders is the principal author of a study to be published today that shows 11 per cent of Australians are suffering serious deprivation. They are missing out on at least five items that an overwhelming majority of Australians, when surveyed, said were essential to life. These included items such as $500 in savings for use in an emergency, dental treatment, and home contents insurance.
The report, Towards New Indicators Of Disadvantage, Deprivation And Social Exclusion In Australia, shows many people who are income-poor, such as the elderly, are not necessarily deprived of essential items, but many others who have above-poverty income cannot afford services such as dental care or school outings for their children.
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