Half a Citizen

Life on welfare in Australia

John Murphy, Suellen Murray, Jenny Chalmers , Sonia Martin

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English

Allen & Unwin
01 July 2011

Welfare & benefit systems; Australian Society

'This important and illuminating book provides a powerful and harrowing depiction of the inadequacies of the Australian welfare system. Its findings challenge the foundations and direction of the welfare reform agenda.' - Professor Peter Saunders, University of New South Wales

'This major new study challenges many myths about life on welfare and in low paid work. It should be read by anyone concerned with welfare reform.' - Jane Millar, Professor of Social Policy, University of Bath

What is it really like to be unemployed and on welfare? How do you make ends meet? Does the welfare system actually help people get back into jobs?

Half a Citizen draws on in-depth interviews with 150 welfare recipients to reveal people struggling to get by on a low income, the anxieties of balancing paid work with income support, and how unstable housing makes it difficult to get ahead.

By investigating the lives beyond the statistics, Half a Citizen also explodes powerful myths and assumptions on which welfare policy is based. The majority of welfare recipients interviewed are very active, in paid work, caring for children or for other family members, and they see themselves as contributing and participating citizens, even if they sometimes feel they are being treated as 'half a citizen'. These stories of resilience and passion bear no resemblance to the clich d images of dependence, laziness, and social isolation which underpin social policy and media debate.

By: John Murphy, Suellen Murray, Jenny Chalmers, Sonia Martin, Greg Marston
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 470g
ISBN: 9781742376059
ISBN 10: 1742376053
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 July 2011
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements List of abbreviations List of tables and figures 1. The receiving end of welfare 2. Poverty, deprivation, resilience 3. Housing 4. Social connections 5. Working lives 6. Barriers to and support for working 7. Welfare as work: Dealing with Centrelink 8. Values and ethics about income support Afterword: In the no-standing zone Appendix 1: The research project Appendix 2: The characteristics of our participants Notes Bibliography Index