The Demographic Implications of Esca- lating Welfare Payments in Australia

This paper addresses the steady in-crease in Australian welfare beneficiar-ies. From 1979 to 2006, working-age welfare recipients on full income support increased from 5.6 to 10 per cent of the population. From 1996 to 1999, children of welfare recipients were found to be five times more likely to be receiving welfare benefits and were producing four and a half times more children than independent fami-lies