The Winner's Curse? Indigenous Australians in the Welfare System

• Published in: Australian economic review Vol. 33; no. 4; pp. 349 - 354
• Main Author: Daly, Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK and Boston, USA Blackwell Publishers Ltd 01-12-2000; Blackwell Publishers
• Subjects: Accountability; Australia; Australia. Dept. of Family and Community Services. Participation Support for a More Equitable Society: Final Report of the Reference Group on Welfare Reform (McClure Report); Censuses; Committees and inquiries; Community Development Employment Projects; Employment opportunities; Government aid; Grants; Indigenous peoples; Indigenous populations; Indigenous rights; National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey; Native peoples; Reform; Social security; Social services; Social welfare policy; Welfare; Welfare state; Australia
• ISSN: 0004-9018; 1467-8462
• DOI: 10.1111/1467-8462.00165

Indigenous Australians have not always been entitled to welfare payments. Their right to be included in the welfare system, particularly for those in remote areas, was gradually recognized over the 1970s and 1980s. However, some indigenous leaders are now questioning whether this has been to the benefit of indigenous society. Some indigenous leaders have argued for the replacement of individual welfare entitlements with a block grant going to a local indigenous council which would be responsible for its allocation to individuals. The merits of this proposal are currently being debated but it does raise important questions of the accountability of these councils for their decisions on the expenditure of public money.