Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher says the amount of taxpayer money used on welfare payments has hit its lowest level in 30 years.
A Department of Social Services analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows 14.3 per cent of the working-age population was receiving payments at the end of the last financial year, down on the previous year’s level of 15.1 per cent.
Mr Fletcher says the reduction is down to the government's enforcement of "mutual obligation" -- a concept asserting that welfare assistance be provided to someone only if they agree to pursue tasks that will increase their employability.
It comes as Labor says it wants to overhaul the Jobactive system aimed at helping Australian job seekers find work.
Labor's employment services spokeswoman Terri Butler says the service isn't working as well as it could be, with the number of employers involved with it dropping from 18 per cent in 2007, to four per cent last year.
She says a better system would give Jobactive providers more time to find people long-term work by dealing with their underlying issues such as homelessness, along with building relationships with employers.
