The changing nature of the Australian welfare state: A critical analysis of the ACOSS campaign to increase the Newstart Allowance

Abstract

The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) is Australia's leading welfare advocacy group. During 2011–13, ACOSS coordinated a high-profile campaign to lift the rate of the Newstart allowance for the unemployed. The campaign used a number of advocacy strategies such as policy reports, petitions, media releases, support from other key interest groups and consultations with parliamentarians, but was unsuccessful in persuading the Labor government to amend the payment rate. This article argues that the campaign was always going to struggle to succeed given the Australian welfare state's historical preference for labour market engagement over broader social rights. Other barriers included the budget deficit, the increasing influence of social-investment philosophy which prioritises active rather than passive social protection, the general international trend towards payment conditionality and the challenge of advocating policy change against combined opposition from the two major political parties.

澳大利亚社会服务委员会是该国首要的一个福利促进团体。在2011年到2013年间，该团体组织了一场很高调的运动，要求提高失业人员的补贴。该运动采取了一系列促进措施，如政策报告、请愿、媒体发布、争取其他重要利益群体的支持、接触国会议员等等，但未能说服工党政府修改支付率。鉴于澳大利亚福利政府历史上一向重劳动力市场的约定而轻广泛的社会权利，该运动也就总在奋斗不辍。其他障碍包括预算赤字、社会投资哲学（优先积极而非消极的社会保护）日增的影响、薪酬限制的国际大趋势、促进针对两个主要反对党联盟的政策改变的问题，等等。

Keywords:

• Australian Council of Social Service
• Labor government
• Newstart allowance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.