Half a Citizen: Life on welfare in Australia

This book examines what life is like on welfare in Australia. Based on interviews with 150 welfare recipients, it highlights the contradictions of welfare policy in both promoting independence and disempowering clients, and the contrast between public perceptions and lived experience. Topics include: the context of the Australian welfare system; poverty and deprivation; resilience and fear; housing and housing tenure; social exclusion and stigma; social networks and civic engagement; the importance of paid work; barriers and transitions to work; Centrelink service delivery; and values and ethics about income support.