Since the Howard government and the liberal party came to power in Australia, the welfare state has been rolled back and conditions for obtaining state assistance have greatly expanded. This has been due, in part to the Commonwealth government's attempt to reduce their financial commitments to the Australian people coupled with an ideological shift towards individual responsibility and privatisation . The citizenship theory, which underpins the social welfare system in Australia, and its underlying principles have …showed first 75 words of 2377 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2377 total…rationale for roll backs in the values of the citizenship theory which underpins the system is to slowdown growth of public expenditure which has been a reoccurring trend since the first Howard Government budget in 1996-97 , allowing the government to produce budget surpluses. The new task now then, is for the government to cease rolling back the major policies and principles of the Australian welfare state and "balance national economic growth [with]...survival and compassion" .