Just caught a repeat of one of those fine current affair television shows (note sarcasm) on teenage girls getting pregnant to get the $3000 baby bonus (soon to increase to $4000). One of the biggest issues that is emerging in Australia is to do with lower class that is becoming entrenched throughout the nation. This demographic needs to be the focus of welfare and taxation reform urgently.
The Howard years have seen great improvement in all areas of Australian society, but it doesn't change the fact the the real battlers (not Howard's aspirational middle class battler) are in need of support. My biggest concern with welfare is the fact that there is such a disadvantage for low income earning mothers to return to the workforce. The next round of tax reform needs to address this - create incentive for mothers to return to the workforce, reduce the disincentive by increasing the lowest tax rate bracket. We also need to start reducing welfare payments as soon as children reach school age, and secondary school age respectively. The end result needs to be that a working single / lower class mother's quality of life is significantly greater than a welfare dependant single / lower class mother.
Reducing disincentives on returning / joining the workforce are critical, particularly with an ageing population.
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