labor should reestablish chifley's massive budget centrepiece national welfare fund and whitlam's social welfare commission to reassure everyone they're still close to their classic mission - creating Big Welfare

when gillard talked about "work not welfare", this was vulgar importation of american clintonite fads with no basis in mainstream labor party history.

historically labor pms built the welfare state, and did so consciously. they saw no fundamental conflict between agendas relating to work and welfare, and saw the welfare state as a key part of improving working class living standards.

i mean in anything as old and complex as the history of a major political party that goes back to the 19th century you can probably find some stray rhetoric to support virtually any ideological standpoint if you cherry pick hard enough.

but here's the reality: labor pms built the welfare state such that we have it. they boasted about expanding welfare and viewed it as a core part of their mission. expanding welfare

welfare measures were a rhetorical centrepiece & easily largest spending component of polcies in light on the hill speech, which discussed introducing unemployment benefits, boosting universal child allowances, pensions, upping rates & eliminating means testing... it's all there!

proudly declared a *five fold* increase in national welfare spending