That's when my attention was brought to Larry Mead. I thought it was very influential in terms of how we could articulate the philosophy of mutual obligations as it relates to job-seekers. Those who do not co-operate should have their benefits cut, according to Mead. This principle is now well-established and increasingly applied to dole recipients under the Howard Government. Mead believes he is defining a middle ground between the established Left-Right debate by looking at reality.
Mead seeks to bypass that problem by making welfare the least attractive option.
People who are long-term on welfare should be willing to give something back to society and improve their self esteem. The concern about reducing the time spent on welfare resonates beyond the Government to the Left side of the debate. Indeed, the department that administers all welfare payments, Family and Community Services, has been working out how to best motivate dole recipients. An internal document indicates bureaucrats have tried to establish in what ways cutting rent assistance to the unemployed would affect them. The strategies are having a significant impact on moving people off welfare, even people who have been dependent on welfare for long periods, or where they have come from families that are welfare-dependent.