Mutual obligation has always been a theory never put into practice.

People of working age should be “hassled” into finding work as well as being helped to find work if they have forgotten how to or have never tried. The Howard Government did no more in this direction than the Rudd Government. There are still around half a million people on the dole, while high immigration, with all its financial, social and environmental costs, still continues in order to fill jobs lazy buggers are not being put into.

At it again eh ...'professor'!

"And it helps ensure that living on welfare does not become a more attractive option than accepting a low-paid, full-time job."

You and 'Mr Right make a fine couple ...

"People of working age should be “hassled” into finding work as well as being helped to find work if they have forgotten how to or have never tried."

Obviously neither of you have even been made 'redundant' and thrown of the scrapheap in a society ...er, sorry, an Economy that has been "re-structured" in favour of those driven to accumulate even MORE surplus wealth or private Capital that they already possess.

How about 'hassling' employers who only offer low pay and sub-standard working and safety conditions?

All people share basic inalienable needs ... to adequate food, shelter, education and healthcare for example. The opportunity to access decently PAID work at an equitable level in line with community standards is surely a similar basis need. However under the Capitalist mode of (social) production and distribution, the surplus value of 'workers' labour is exploited by a parasitic elite minority, aided and abetted by 'aspirational' members of the managerial class.

And yet, with the exception of the wealthy, we all have to pay taxes, and purchase the food, shelter (housing), education for our children and so on in a 'de-regulated' marketplace, wherein the sellers of food, housing, petrol, education and so on are 'Free' to charge what they decide!

Bottom line! ... You can either have social security (the old name for the American import, 'welfare') OR you can have social INSECURITY.

Sowat,

You appear to be running on ideology rather than reality.

“Parasitic elite minority” and your inference that only the ‘poor’ pay taxes certainly indicate that you haven’t graduated from the idea of class wars.

We do have social security, but it’s not there to replace working for a living.

“How about 'hassling' employers who only offer low pay and sub-standard working and safety conditions?” Yes. Some employers might need hassling too; certainly on safety conditions. As for the “low pay”, the differential between the dole and lower incomes shows that the dole (intended only as an emergency measure) exists because the dole is too high, particularly when add-ons for dependents, rent, health etc are received. There are people out their getting more than the ‘working poor’ for sitting on their bums.

The low paid workers still struggle on, try to improve themselves or work more than one job, while being constantly insulted by people getting almost as much as they do for nothing when employers can’t get enough workers.

I know who I feel for and respect.

Mr. Right, I have a feeling your first name would be "always" typical tory. It bothers me that you contribute to such a forum with the obvious lack of knowledge that you have.

I am sure Peter Saunders appreciates the brief lecture on vulgar Marxism from Sowat, who might also like to enlighten us on the topic of 'inalienable rights' under capitalism. Who would guarantee these rights...surley not the oppressive capitalist state itself?

Sowat

When you have "employers who only offer low pay and sub-standard working and safety conditions" you have employee vacancies, no one is forced to do those work.

These "vacancies" remains vacant until the employer get hassled

Join the real world Sowat