In Australia, the common perception of a person on welfare is that they are young, don't want to work and spend all their time either on the beach and/or reveling in a marijuana induced high (if they are male) or young, alcoholic and with a multitude of kids to different fathers (if they are female). This perception is fueled by the sensationalist media who seem to like nothing more than exposing these taxpayer funded leeches and the evening current affairs programs are full of stories of "dole bludgers" (the Australian slang for these people) rorting the system.

The reality is vastly different. For starters, according to the April 2008 Labour Force release from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the over 19yo bracket comprised roughly 80 percent of unemployed persons. Sadly, the ABS doesn't break down the data beyond the 15-19yo bracket and the rest of the workforce. A 2005, ACOSS study into long term unemployment supported a similar conclusion, with more than 75 percent of long term unemployed falling within the 21-59yo age bracket. With increased life expectancy and declining birth rates, there is an upward trend in the age of the average unemployed person and the typical person receiving benefits is now more likely to be 45+yo, male and in middle management. At the older end of the spectrum, people on the pension are living for an average of around 20 years beyond retirement age and the proportion of people in this welfare bracket is projected to more than double over the next 40 years (according to Treasury estimates).

The other perception is that being on welfare is some kind of taxpayer funded luxury holiday. In Australia, the current welfare payment, called Newstart Allowance for anyone over 21 and looking for work is $437.10pfn without children and $472.80pfn with children. The average weekly wake in Australia as at March 2008 was $1,124pw ($2,248pfn), so the individual welfare payment is less than 20 percent of what the average Australian earns. On the surface, $437.10pfn sounds like a hefty reward for doing nothing, however when you compare it to the average weekly wage, it isn't very much. It is well down the lower end of the socio-economic scale.

To put this amount into better perspective, let's have a look at what it would mean to live off that kind of amount of money. The biggest outgoing is having somewhere to live. Depending on whether you are in public or private rented housing, your net rental contribution

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Reflections: On welfare (the poor are people, too)?
We want to hear your view. Write now!