This document discusses employment, income maintenance, and the role of social work in Australia. It provides statistics on employment levels that show a decrease in unemployment. It then discusses unpaid work and its value. The rest of the document outlines the development of the welfare state and income support systems in Australia. It discusses different models of social security and trends indicating a need for reform. It also describes the historical role of social workers within the social security and income support bureaucracy in Australia.

2. Employment and
income
maintenance
HCS103- Topic 5
Presentation draws on resources supplied by Karen Bell

3. Employment statistics
TREND ESTIMATES (June- ABS)
• Employment increased 26,400 to 12,160,100.
• Unemployment decreased 3,700 to 726,800.
• Unemployment rate is 5.6%.
• Participation rate remained steady at 64.9%.
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/6202.0Main%20Features9999Jun%202017?opendocument&tabname=Su
mmary&prodno=6202.0&issue=Jun%202017&num=&view=

4. Unpaid Work
• Unpaid covers a variety of activities such as voluntary work, domestic work, and
caring for others.
• The value of unpaid work in Australia has been estimated in Unpaid Work and
the Australian Economy, 1997 (cat. no. 5240.0) as equivalent to almost half (48%) of
Australia's Gross Domestic Product.
• Census questions (since 2006);
 Time spent on unpaid domestic work for their household in the last week.
 Time spent on providing unpaid care, help or assistance to persons with a
disability, a long-term illness or problems related to old age, in the last two weeks.
 Time spent on providing unpaid care to their own or other people's children aged
less than 15 years in the last two weeks.
 Time spent on unpaid voluntary work through an organisation or group, in the
last twelve months.
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/factsheetsmuw?opendocument&navpos=450 4

5. Although there is inherent worth and
benefit within unpaid work, largely, it
is under acknowledged and under
appreciated.
With employment being a key factor
in determining one’s standard of
living, what happens when one is not
in paid employment?

6. Income maintenance and the development (and decline?) of the
welfare state
• Nature of capitalist system that some are ‘the reserve
army of labour’ – not in paid work
• Welfare state developed to ensure all members of
society had reasonable standard of living
• Notion of re-distribution of wealth
• Aim to protect vulnerable members of society
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7. Two models of ‘social security’
• Residual – individual effort is rewarded, wage-earning
is the foundation for social security, some people ‘miss
out’. A conservative model.
• Social citizenship – a more collective
approach – everyone deserves a decent
standard of living and access to basic
social goods. A universal model. 7

8. Four trends indicating need for ‘bold change’ to social support system
1. Growing gap between ‘rich’ and ‘poor’, growing number of
children living in families where there is no adult in paid work
2. Changes in mode of work – more part time work and part-
time jobs being taken up by households already with one
wage earner
3. Growing proportion of population relying solely on income
support
4. Decrease in availability of unskilled jobs – impacts of
technological change and globalisation
Workplace Reform Reference Group (2000)
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9. ‘Australia’s social support system must do more
than provide adequate levels of income support for
people in need. It must ensure that people are
actively engaged socially and economically,
including the labour force, to reduce the risk of long
term social and economic disadvantage for
themselves and their families’
(Workplace Reform Reference Group 2000)
Critique this statement.
What are the underlying assumptions?
How far have we come since this statement was made?
What are some of the latest statistics on wealth distribution in Australia in 2017?
Is the gap between ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ decreasing or increasing or unchanged?
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10. The role of SW within the social security/ income support bureaucracy
1941 – Dept Social Services, gov’t inquiry recommended that SWs be employed
1944 – SW appointed as chief research and administrative officer of Division of SW & Research
1947 – Paper at first Australian Conference of SW – outlined DSS SWs’ role (casework, to ensure
bureaucracy as humane as possible and provide social research)
1950s – active recruitment of SWs, cadetships offered
1966 – community liaison and service development role
1970s – expansion of SW under Australian Assistance Plan.
1973 – DSS SWs enabled to assist community organisations’ dev’t and coordination at local level
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11. The role of SW within the social security/ income support bureaucracy cont.
Late 1970s – Growth in SW numbers – especially in regional offices
- SWs integrated across DSS, income maintenance focus but also move into
policy and admin functions
1980s – Increased role in management
1987 – State offices of DSS abolished and ‘areas’ developed
1997 – Centrelink established > significant change in positioning of SW: manager of SW
elevated to senior executive level, SW Directions strategy developed, focus on customer-
service relationships, emerging technologies, enterprise & practice review, service delivery,
policy. Some services privatised (e.g. employment services).
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12. The role of SW within the social security/ income support bureaucracy cont.
1998 – Department of Social Security lost departmental status, becomes an arm of
Department of Human Services
As a result, role of Social Work in service delivery is broadened
How we help
• Our social workers can help you with:
• Short term counselling
• Information to help you, and
• Referrals to other support services
https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/social-work-services
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13. References
• A number of sources from the ABS -
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/factsheetsmuw?opendocument&navpos=450
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/6202.0Main%20Features9999Jun%202017?opendo
cument&tabname=Summary&prodno=6202.0&issue=Jun%202017&num=&view=
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/factsheetsmuw?opendocument&navpos=450
• Workplace Reform Group (McClure Report) 2000. Participation support for a more equitable society.
http://www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/Publications/ProgrammeEvaluation/TheMcClureReport.htm.
Accessed 23/8/07.
• O’Brien, M. 2013. ‘Social work, poverty and disadvantage’. In M. Connolly & L. Harms (Eds.) Social Work
contexts and practice. Melbourne, OUP, pp.74-86.
• Office for Women Unpaid Work and the Australian Economy
http://ofw.facsia.gov.au/work_education/unpaid_work/unpaid_work_economy.htm. Accessed 23/8/07.
• Wearing, M. 2005. Employment, social justice and social work: Practice issues in a post-welfare state. In M.
Alston & J. McKinnon (eds). Social work fields of practice. Melbourne, OUP, p146 - 162.
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