There is one simple first step that must be taken when addressing welfare, STOP PAYING CASH!

You see the paying of cash is where many problems arise.

It can be gambled, smoked, drank, or all of the above. Meanwhile, the 'kids', which by the way is where welfare is deemed to be required, often go without because the welfare they rely on is wasted.

Address this issues and we will be off to a good start.

Then, each and every tax payer should have their own 'rewards style' card, which, when you pay tax, you earn points. You can then use these points in your retirement.

But no, we would rather say, bugger off, you're to well off, so you receive nothing. Even though you may have contrinuted more in taxes than many other have earned.

Let's face it, if one knows there will be a pot of gold there upon retirement, then one is more likely to pay their taxes, ligitimately.

Last but not least, welfare should be a 'hand up' not a 'hand out'.

Don't think the thread is going to work.
I would have thought some good ideas, out there ideas for real change might come.
And suspected I may be targeted for my views it is time for reform.
And for the view government has every right to review as it plans to, disability pensions.
Rechtub I can not agree with your simplistic views.
Welfare has many heads, Child welfare, unemployment disability and old age, list could be three posts long.
I do not say a majority are wrongly on welfare,
My view is we most probably waste more on the efforts of the public servants who run the show.
Impending tax cuts to small business as a result of carbon tax is welfare, for the well of.
One day we must confront fraud in welfare, now should be that time.
But to blacken every one, to want to pay other than by cash is insulting.

Dear Belly,

I've worked all of my life and have never been on welfare. I consider myself extremely lucky. I still remember however, witnessing an
elderly pensioner ahead of me in the checkout at the Supermarket weighing up whether he was going to buy the fruit or the vegs. He couldn't afford both. Needless to say, I told the girl, to put his vegs. on my tab - and he got to take them home. I don't know enough about the supposed rorts of "welfare" recipients.

I do know that many poor people work full time at unskilled jobs that will never pay much. Many live in areas of chronic unemployment, such as depressed rural regions or decaying urban neighbourhoods where industries are in decline. Many have only recently become poor, and most don't stay poor for very long. Each year, about a third of the country's poor families manage to climb out of poverty. Some of course are trapped in long-term poverty.

What I can't understand is why can't the money currently spent on federal poverty programs be given directly to the poor, instead of to federal and state bureaucracies? It would raise the incomes of all the poor above the proverty line, and possibly still leave a surplus.
Is it because the reasons lie in the peculiar belief that the poor are in poverty because they are idle and prefer to live on "handouts?"

This view seems to be fervently held by some people, even those who don't know poor people, have never tried to raise a family on welfare payments and haven't the vaguest idea what poverty is really like.

There are few complaints however, about how the country pays out far more in "handouts" for the nonpoor than to the poor in forms ranging from all sorts of supports and benefits and tax cuts. This fact generally escapes attention because these benefits take the indirect form of hidden subsidies or tax deductions. It seems that different categories of the population do have different life chances.

This view seems to be fervently held by some people, even those who don't know poor people, have never tried to raise a family on welfare payments and haven't the vaguest idea what poverty is really like.

Another excellent post Lexi.

Forty hour famine x years on most occasions for many non-public servants.

The Welfare Reform

A topic and serious disscussion, everyone has to reliise that their are many people out their that use this prgrame because their skills or ability is that their has never been a proper education level for all recipients who receive these benifits and many are not aware of it .

forgotten australians child migrants and stolen generation children , have never used this is a scam from any goverment, many of these persons have their own children and grand children in the work force, no matter what job it maybe, , im a forgotten australian, yet my, own ability diminissheshes me, i have done my best for my children , i worked and hope i made my children be in some succes in life ,

im the one who lived the live of nothing raped abused soddimised , starved made a slave , being gaoled , but i made sure my childeren didn't suffer what i did, to all forgotten australians child migrants and the stolen generation out their some of us are in and under diffrent cirumstances, i know this subject was not directed at forgotten australians but you must undersatand , not everybody is the same , evrey one's life is diffrent.to that of someone else many people have things in common,

from a real forgotten australian ,

R.I.P. Ray Flett, your never going to be forgotten, my respects to you and all your faimly and freinds , will always be their,

regards ( huffnpuff ) micheal brown

The last three posts both make me happy and bring concerns too.
Lexi what we are unique said WAU,our forgotten Australian thank you for caring.
No one who ever posted here or ever will can claim to have lived, once a poor persons life worse than my childhood.
It was my side of politics that fought so hard for welfare in days hungry people starved.
But both sides took up the challenge and while welfare got better policing it got slack.
I can not take rechtubs views, never will I claim slackness is the reason pensioners are on welfare or all unemployed.
HOWEVER conservatives in power act far more harshly than the ALP in this area.
I ask for reform, every cent saved in waste,in paying fraudulent payments, in getting real jobs put aside ,leaves extra payments for the needy.
Total defense of existing welfare may be supporting theft directly from the true needy.