Welfare Reform in Australia: Labor's view

There are two aspects to the work-and-family debate that need further explanation: supporting families and restoring the balance in workplaces.

OECD studies show that birth rates are highest where female workforce participation is highest. The OECD sensibly observes that such correlations do not prove that increasing female labour force participation rates will inevitably increase fertility rates. But they do suggest "child rearing and paid work are complementary rather than alternative activities", and that policy should be made on that basis.

In too many families today, our children are not getting the start they deserve because when Governments shift the tax burden to those on lower incomes, remove labour market protection, and withdraw access to social security and social services, the welfare of families is directly harmed.

At the core of Labor's initiatives to strengthen family and community life in this country is a determination to make resources available to families when children are first born.

The point here is simple: if our social services and welfare system could invest more in children we wouldn't have so many disadvantaged adults, thus easing the burden on our welfare system in the future. It is about making families stronger by giving them more time together and providing them with the support they need.

We currently have a patchwork quilt of services - childcare, maternal and child health, family support and early education - that are fragmented and inaccessible. We need a root-and-branch reappraisal of services for children and families and we have to make sure young families get all the services they need to be good families. That means changing the way governments at all levels plan and fund child and family services.

A new child and family service platform would start with a comprehensive national program of early assistance. What early assistance could offer families is fourfold:

• Early childhood and parenting services for all families;
• Comprehensive home visiting when children are young;
• Parenting education before and after the birth of a child; and
• Information and referral services that put families in touch with their local community services

And all of these would be backed by a government commitment to monitor and strive to improve the wellbeing of families and their children.

Based on overseas experience, every dollar spent on supporting young families with parenting and early-intervention programs will save the community seven times as much down the track in health, welfare and policing.

Industrial relations

Finally, we must look closely at the changing patterns of work and the impact this is having on family life. One of the problems with the neo-liberal view of industrial relations is its serious impact on the ability of Australians to balance work and family life.