Social policy is having to adapt to changes in the Australian economy and in Australian society more generally. The role of the state is receding and expectations of what it can achieve are being lowered at a time when the economy is generating increased material prosperity combined with growing...

This paper discusses issues associated with the measurement of poverty and how future trends in work and welfare will affect poverty in Australia, One of the main aims is to illustrate why and in what sense the measurement of poverty remains important in the broader policy debate. The role of...