Successive governments of either Tweedle persuasion are always either talking about or applying crackdowns on welfare bludgers.

How strange that they never address the welfare for big business and the wealthy that is built into our current system.Inequity between the rich and the poor is becoming more pronounced.

We shall reap what we sow.

Manorina,

What the Right fail to understand is that the poorer people of Australia may (or may not) be 'richer' than in the past, but they perceive themselves as poorer because they compare themselves to other more affluent people in society.

I agree above. Elites like Abbott, Gillard, David Penberthy etc all ignore or omit mention of corporate and middle class welfare. Also the peppercorn rents paid by alpine resorts for crown land encourage them to have too much sense of entitlement to demand working visa rules be relaxed because they want to screw their local workforce and can't attract "good labor".

Welfare policy does not want to make it easier for the poor to get tertiary qualfication. Thats why, though its wrong, that a young full time tertiary student cannot get an independent rate of allowance as of right, it depends on all kinds of complex and labyrinthine criteria.

As a veteran of the welfare system, its not designed to really lift us up at all, make educated to our full potential (would like a tertiary qualification perhaps) and address discrimination across the board (society would not accept me for a long time even in semi-skilled jobs and intermediate-advanced administrative occupations.

The system is designed by elites, for elites and business, to corral the leftovers, the misfits etc, however bright, dumb or in between, into the jobs that all you don't want your kids doing, so that even mediocre rich youth can have the inside run to the top. Thats also aided by not allowing, as of ENTITLEMENT, for any tertiary student of any age to get an independent rate of allowance, and also a full book subsidy (or put the cost of books on HECS).

People with disability might be able to move about doe short times. The problem is when forced to work, it increases the pain level and they are unable to live a normal life outside work. Most people believe it or not will choose to work if able to. THere are also people without any physical disability, who are not suitable for work and are a danger to themselves and those around them. I know this because I was married to one.

I don’t think anyone should worry about threats to crack down on welfare ‘bludgers’. All politicians vow to act against people who should not be on welfare at some stage in their politicking, but none seem able or willing to do anything when they have the chance.

While there are many genuine people needing and receiving welfare and there will always be such people, there are also too many living off taxpayers who should not be doing so. So, of course there should have been a crackdown on the latter - a long time ago.

Only the very naïve and apologists for bludgers would not agree that there should be a crackdown on welfare cheats. If, as Abbott claims, there are at least a third of disability pension recipients who should not be receiving benefits, then Abbott should be doing something about it: even in opposition it is his duty to do something about it on behalf of taxpayers and honest pensioners.

Even the “…previous Coalition rhetoric on welfare recipients…’ was just that – rhetoric. Howard talked tough, but did nothing.

The arguments about ‘conservative only’ concern about are hogwash. Any person, politician or citizen, who professes concern for the mental well-being of people whittling their lives away receiving welfare they shouldn’t have is a liar without the guts to tell it the way it is. Being paid to do nothing when you could be working is fraud, pure and simple. Those involved should be dealt with by the law.

It’s just a pity that Abbott’s professed concern about welfare fraud is more rhetoric, and the situation will continue the way it is

So Leigh.... what about Corporate Welfare?