2003

2003 Federal Budget
Special Edition

The 2003/04 Commonwealth Budget offers little to people reliant on income support or the working poor. Catholic Welfare Australia's view is that the Government's focus on a Budget surplus ignores the plight of suffering Australians and that these funds could have been used for job creation, more funding for child care, more family assistance to those who need it and more incentives to help people move from welfare to work. There is an increasing focus on "user pays" which disadvantages those at the lower end of the income spectrum.

The following summarises the main changes that may impact on the welfare sector and people our Member Organisations work with. 

Broad Assessment