For several years, media outlets like The Australian ran a campaign against the so-called ‘blowout’ in welfare spending, backing claims made by the Coalition Government that nearly half of the population receives more in welfare than they pay in tax.
The 2019 Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey has demolished this myth, showing that welfare reliance for those at working age has actually fallen materially over the past 16 years:
Reliance on welfare remains a significant concern for policymakers in Australia…
