BY JONATHAN STRAUSS
As John Howard's federal Coalition government faces increasing public criticism over its cuts to welfare, employment services minister Tony Abbott has resorted to invoking both the Pope and Karl Marx in defence of the government's "mutual obligation" policy for social security recipients.
The government will propose significant changes to the social security system before the end of the year, after receiving a report in August from a hand-picked committee headed by Patrick McClure from Mission Australia.
The main measures are likely to extend "mutual obligation" requirements to all the unemployed and to sole parents and people with disabilities. The McClure report's "mutuality" involves general calls on businesses, the government and "the community" to provide job opportunities, support services and specific activity demands on social security repicients.
Not all charities agree, however. On October 19, the Catholic charity organisation St Vincent de Paul Society sent a letter to all federal parliamentarians saying it would "not become an arm of government". It criticised the public discussion on welfare reform saying, "There appears to be no balance on the contentious subject of mutuality... There is no shortage of comment on the obligations of welfare recipients [but] no balanced focus on commitment on the part of government, the business community and the well-off."
The letter further argued: "The poor have no option but to spend their entire income on the essentials of life ... We assess that about five million Australians exist below an acceptable level." It continued: "The aim of the welfare system should be to assure all citizens of certain basic rights such as food and shelter, the ability to be a full participant in society, have self-respect and dignity."
Abbott responded in a letter criticising the society for misunderstanding the causes of poverty. He claimed that Catholic doctrines supported the government's withdrawal from providing social security, action against citizens' "passivity" and recognition of "the strengths of the markets, as well as its limits".
He also complained the society demanded more government resources compared to church organisations which "can be more effective than government in dealing with deeper social malaise and issues of individual character" which result in poverty.
The society's publication on November 12 of Working Out of Welfare which cited insufficient social security payments and cuts to public services, housing, education and health care as structural causes of poverty, brought similar complaints from Abbott the next day on the ABC's AM program.
However, Abbott did make the observation that there is "never enough" and that therefore "charities have to make choices and governments have got to make choices", that is people are going to miss out.
According to November 12 Sydney Morning Herald, Abbott accused the society of having a "simple-minded welfarist approach" and the wrong analysis. The roots of poverty lie in "human nature", he said. Government policies were "morally responsible" and meet the principle enunciated by Karl Marx of "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs".
Needs not met
Abbott's claim is false, however. People's material and social needs are not being met. Suitable jobs are not available for all who want them. For every job vacancy there are six people officially unemployed.
Social security payments are at or below poverty levels. Some 200,000 people had their payments reduced for administrative "breaches" of social security regulations in 1999-2000. The total number of 300,000 breaches imposed in the last year can be compared with 120,000 imposed in 1996-97.
A typical penalty in lost payments for a breach is over $700, more than fines regularly imposed for drink driving or break and enter convictions. The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) to the McClure report argues that low benefits, not welfare dependency, is the main problem in welfare.
The society has estimated Centrelink made more than 80,000 referrals to it — just one charity — in the last year. Migrants facing a two year wait for social security support and refugees are particularly dependent on charitable support.
Poverty is not only a problem of material want. The poor are also excluded from political and social life. Wealth, not capacity, is the ticket to seats on corporate boards and parliamentary benches.
Oddly, the initial reaction of the society to Abbott was to deny the letter was a critique or political statement against the government. Yet its letter stated, "When the well-off, government and the business community have demonstrated their willingness to meet their obligations, then, and only then, should we discuss how the powerful can encourage and invite — not obligate — the poor to play a participatory role". This stance is counterposed to the government's. It sides with the poor, defending their interests as civil rights.
Other society spokespeople did criticise the government's policy, arguing that its reliance on charities is an attempt to privatise welfare. They also said that mutual obligation blames the victims.
On November 14 the Sydney Morning Herald ran an editorial warning Abbott he had "picked a dangerous quarrel". It stated that the government could not afford to alienate the charities if its intention was for them to implement government policy. "It will not work if these agencies are treated in effect as subordinates of the government" or their comments on policy are dismissed, the editorial stated.
The charities are torn between the pull to be incorporated into government programs such as the Job Network and the pull to respond to the needs of those seeking help. If they choose the latter, their moral authority could help rouse the poorest sections of the population into action.
This is unlikely however as the perspectives of organisations such as the St Vincent de Paul Society and ACOSS is to "speak for the poor", not to organise them so they can speak for themselves.
According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ overturned the moneychangers' tables in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Today, not the holy ghost, but the spectre of Marxism is needed to help build a movement of the poor and working people to overturn the power of the parliamentarians and the corporate wealthy they represent.