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The mutual obligation policy in Australia : the rhetoric and reasoning of recent social security policy

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dc.contributor.authorParker, S.M.
dc.contributor.authorFopp, R.J.
dc.date.issued2004
dc.description.abstractSince 1997, the Australian Federal Liberal Government has introduced policies which have sought to reduce rates of unemployment, particularly long-term unemployment. The policy, known as Mutual Obligation, increased the expectations on unemployed people in return for their social security payment. At the same time, previous labour market programmes and government assistance schemes were scrapped or privatised. This article explores the justification of the term 'Mutual Obligation' by examining both the language and the underlying principles of the policy. By defining the problem of unemployment in terms of flaws in the previous social security system, the stage is set for the government to introduce policies which remedy those flaws by emphasising self- reliance in favour of government assistance. Further, by invoking notions of fairness and mutuality, the article argues that the term 'Mutual Obligation' masks both the extent and the strength of the obligations imposed on unemployed people. © 2004, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
dc.identifier.citationContemporary Politics, 2004; 10(3-4):257-269
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/1356977042000316718
dc.identifier.issn1356-9775
dc.identifier.issn1469-3631
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1959.8/26875
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherRoutledge
dc.rightsCopyright status unknown
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1080/1356977042000316718
dc.subjectmutual obligation
dc.subjectsocial welfare
dc.subjectpublic policy
dc.titleThe mutual obligation policy in Australia : the rhetoric and reasoning of recent social security policy
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished
ror.mmsid9915913358001831

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