The Australian Government has repeatedly restructured its social policy since the 1980s, making
welfare payments conditional and increasing work incentives. This welfare reform, influenced heavily
by neoliberalism, has been legitimised by the problematisation of“ welfare dependency,” emphasising
the obligations and the responsibilities of welfare recipients. The Howard Coalition Government in
particular promoted an insistent neoliberal turn in social policies, asserting the importance of a social
welfare system encouraging“ responsible behaviour.” In 2007, the Government introduced a measure
called“ income management” or“ welfare quarantining” which linked welfare payments to the“ socially
responsible behaviour” of parents. Income management was taken over by the Rudd-Gillard Labor
Government, and eventually by the Abbott Coalition Government, and has been a prominent feature of
welfare reform, indicating the importance of analysing income management in the context of welfare
reform from the perspective of parenthood.
This paper analyses the policy process of income management and the logic that has supported it
to consider the issue of neoliberal welfare reform and social inclusion/exclusion. Income management,
introduced by the Howard Government as a part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response
(NTER), was actually a scheme to advance welfare reforms based on the principle of“ mutual obligation”
by urging parents to show responsibility for the care and education of their children. While
supporting the NTER and echoing the Howard Government’s arguments on parental responsibility,
the Rudd and Gillard Governments more obviously referred to income management as a significant
welfare reform scheme and broadened its application. In that whole process, welfare dependency and
its intergenerational cycle have been problematised, and individuals“ depending on welfare” have been
referred to as“ bad parents” who behave“ against normal community standards.” Parenthood has been
the core element of this welfare reform by connecting normative parental behaviour with provision of
welfare payments and thus making parents subject to intervention. Furthermore, attributes such as
Aboriginality, class, age and family type have had a close relationship with representation of welfare
recipients as“ bad parents.” Whereas income management intends to encourage welfare recipients to
achieve social inclusion, this very process excludes them from social citizenship by referring to vague
norms of parenthood.
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