Wedge politics and welfare reform in Australia

Shaun Wilson, Nick Turnbull

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    30 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The election of the Howard Government has marked a paradigm shift in welfare policy with the implementation of far reaching reforms around the concept of mutual obligation. At the same time, there has been media speculation about the Government's use of 'wedge politics' to sustain its political agenda with respect to welfare and other policies. Wedge politics, however, is yet to receive detailed analysis in Australian political science. We define wedge politics to be a calculated political tactic aimed at using divisive social issues to gain political support, weaken opponents and strengthen control over the political agenda. The purpose of this paper is thus twofold: to develop a definition of wedge politics and to investigate how the Howard Government's welfare reform agenda might be understood as an example of such politics, drawing out its longer-term implications.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)384-402
    Number of pages19
    JournalAustralian Journal of Politics and History
    Volume47
    Issue number3
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2001

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