ABSTRACT
In previous chapters, I noted early manifestations of the anti-welfare state backlash including the growing prominence of neoliberal think tanks such as the Centre for Independent Studies and the Institute of Public Affairs, the visits to Australia of leading neoliberal philosophers such as Hayek and Friedman, the anti-welfare perspectives of sections of the news media, and the flourishing of these ideas within the Liberal-National Party Coalition. This chapter expands the discussion of the anti-welfare campaigns beyond 1983 with a particular focus on the neoliberal think tanks, the News Corp media, and corporate advocacy groups such as the Business Council of Australia. It is argued that these campaigns resulted in a reframing of the welfare debate around the responsibilities rather than rights of the disadvantaged, and the introduction of conditional measures intended to pressure income security recipients into the workforce.
