Video essay

Neo-liberalist narratives encourage concepts of meritocracy and equal opportunity, informed by the belief that social problems are the result of a flawed morality among individuals’ and that there is a moral hazard in creating reliance on government assistance; resulting in ‘welfare dependency’ (Carson & Kerr, 2017; Jamrozik, 2009). This has led to a rise in mutual obligation policies and the idea that people should “have a go to get a go” (Carson & Kerr, 2017; The Drum, 2019).  However, Melissa Lucashenko argues that “there are structural barriers to participation” and that marginalised groups have less access to opportunities to “have a go” (The Drum, 2019)  Furthermore, Rick Morton argues that if the government continues to implement ‘mutual obligation’ policies that they also have to meet their obligations and that currently, this is not happening (The Drum, 2019). In what ways are governments not meeting their mutual obligations and are some groups more impacted than others? How could government policy be shifted to ensure that the concept of equal opportunity is actualised? References Carson, E., & Kerr, L. (2017). Australian social policy and the human services (2nd ed.). Cambridge ; Port Melbourne, Vic.: Cambridge University Press.  The Drum, (2019). With poverty on the rise in Australia, is it fair to say that people should simply ‘have a go to get a go’? Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-06/the-drum-wednesday-november-6/11679172 Jamrozik, A. (2009). Social policy in the post-welfare state : Australian society in a changing world (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Education Australia.