Stepping stones to an Australian Basic Income

Ben Spies-Butcher, Troy Henderson

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    This chapter explores a “stepping stones” approach to Basic Income in the Australian context. It identifies two policy changes that would mark a partial shift away from Australia’s highly means-tested transfer system towards a more universal model of income support.

    Specifically, we propose a combination of unwinding means-testing for the age pension and gradually lowering the eligibility age with a Youth Basic Income paid to those aged 20–24 based on a modified negative income tax model.

    We argue together these proposals allow for an alternative to the neoliberal politics of population ageing, addressing emerging intergenerational inequalities in Australia’s current dualised model.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationImplementing a basic income in Australia
    Subtitle of host publicationpathways forward
    EditorsElise Klein, Jennifer Mays, Tim Dunlop
    Place of PublicationCham, Switzerland
    PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
    Chapter9
    Pages163-178
    Number of pages16
    ISBN (Electronic)9783030143787
    ISBN (Print)9783030143770
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019

    Publication series

    NameExploring the Basic Income Guarantee
    PublisherPalgrave Macmillan

    Keywords

    • Basic Income
    • social policy
    • inequality
    • Universal Basic Income
    • intergenerational inequality
    • taxation

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