Compulsory Income Management: A Critical Examination of the Emergence of Conditional Welfare in Australia

Abstract

The introduction of compulsory income management by the then Coalition Government in 2007 signalled the increasing policy influence of individualistic as opposed to structural explanations of social disadvantage. Using key policy and evaluation literature, this article critically examines the principal arguments for and against compulsory income management. Specific questions are raised about the top-down and coercive nature of compulsory income management, the lack of supporting empirical evidence, and its apparent discrimination against Australians who are Indigenous or reliant on income security payments, or both. Some conclusions are drawn about the potential for more effective policy solutions that would involve a genuine partnership with disadvantaged communities.

联盟党政府2007年推出的义务性收入管理办法，标志在社会弱势的问题上，个人主义的解释胜过了结构主义的解释。本文根据主要的政策及评估文献，分析了义务性收入管理办法的拥护和反对方的观点。义务性收入管理办法以自上而下、强制性为特征，这产生了一些具体的问题，如缺乏实证的支持，以及明白地歧视了土著或依赖社会保障者或二者得兼的土著澳大利亚人。本文就更有效的政策措施提出一些建议，这其中包含了与弱势社群的真诚合作。

Keywords:

• Child Abuse
• Indigenous Issues
• Social Policy

Acknowledgement

I am grateful to Dr Catherine Flynn for her comments on an earlier draft of this paper.