Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2013 14:43:26 GMT 7
Reformer calls for welfare overhaul
From: The Australian
June 25, 2013
THE architect of the Howard government's first tranche of welfare reforms has called for a renewed crackdown on the Disability Support Pension and a revisiting of his proposal for a single welfare payment.
Patrick McClure, who chaired the independent welfare reform committee for the Howard government, also says he believes the controversial income-management scheme started under the Coalition government and expanded under Labor has been a success and should be used in disintegrated areas more widely.
Mr McClure first pushed for a one-payment system in his landmark report in 2000, with a base sum plus add-ons to reflect personal circumstances. The Howard government rejected this but took up his proposals on welfare to work. He says the welfare system is broken and a single payment is needed to deliver meaningful change. Mr McClure makes the comments in a new policy book by the Menzies Research Centre.
"One of the recommendations was for a single, integrated income-support payment to be introduced over time, ie, to bring together the payment levels of pensions and allowances," he says.
"Currently an individual on Disability Support Pension receives $386 a week (including pension supplement and health concessions) compared with an unemployed person on Newstart Allowance, who receives $246. This difference of $140 becomes a disincentive for an individual to move from a pension into work.
"There is still major work to be done in welfare reform in Australia. The current income-support system is complex, with many anomalies and disincentives to work. One of the recurring challenges is the difference in income-support payments between pensions and allowances. The need for a single, integrated payment remains a desirable goal."
The British government is introducing a "universal credit" as part of a £5 billion ($8.4bn) reform.
"This is an ongoing problem," he said. "Obviously those that have a severe impediment to working need to be protected and not subject to any obligation; however, there are others where there is the capacity for them to be involved in part-time work and certainly education and training options and I think they should be pursued because welfare reform is about helping people participate socially and economically."
He said he was pleased that income management had shown positive results, particularly in the Northern Territory.
From: The Australian
June 25, 2013
THE architect of the Howard government's first tranche of welfare reforms has called for a renewed crackdown on the Disability Support Pension and a revisiting of his proposal for a single welfare payment.
Patrick McClure, who chaired the independent welfare reform committee for the Howard government, also says he believes the controversial income-management scheme started under the Coalition government and expanded under Labor has been a success and should be used in disintegrated areas more widely.
Mr McClure first pushed for a one-payment system in his landmark report in 2000, with a base sum plus add-ons to reflect personal circumstances. The Howard government rejected this but took up his proposals on welfare to work. He says the welfare system is broken and a single payment is needed to deliver meaningful change. Mr McClure makes the comments in a new policy book by the Menzies Research Centre.
"One of the recommendations was for a single, integrated income-support payment to be introduced over time, ie, to bring together the payment levels of pensions and allowances," he says.
"Currently an individual on Disability Support Pension receives $386 a week (including pension supplement and health concessions) compared with an unemployed person on Newstart Allowance, who receives $246. This difference of $140 becomes a disincentive for an individual to move from a pension into work.
"There is still major work to be done in welfare reform in Australia. The current income-support system is complex, with many anomalies and disincentives to work. One of the recurring challenges is the difference in income-support payments between pensions and allowances. The need for a single, integrated payment remains a desirable goal."
The British government is introducing a "universal credit" as part of a £5 billion ($8.4bn) reform.
In an interview with The Australian, Mr McClure described the welfare system as "complex and inefficient" and said more needed to be done to control the Disability Support Pension, which reached a peak of about 832,000 recipients in December 2011. It has since fallen by about 8000 since reforms to tighten eligibility took effect.
"This is an ongoing problem," he said. "Obviously those that have a severe impediment to working need to be protected and not subject to any obligation; however, there are others where there is the capacity for them to be involved in part-time work and certainly education and training options and I think they should be pursued because welfare reform is about helping people participate socially and economically."
He said he was pleased that income management had shown positive results, particularly in the Northern Territory.
