The Wire

The Global Financial Crisis doubled youth unemployment figures to 18%. With a national deficit, Tony Abbott is concerned young people are depending upon government support to live. If elected, Tony Abbott is vowing to end what he calls youth “welfare subcultures”. He says he’ll offer unemployed youth the choice between welfare or a government guaranteed paid job – but he hasn’t given any details of how the Coalition would fund this seemingly expensive scheme. So is this a socialist move to help young out of-work Australians or a return to the anti-welfare rhetoric of the Howard era?