THE WAGE-EARNERS - WELFARE-STATE REVISITED - REFURBISHING THE ESTABLISHED MODEL OF AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL PROTECTION, 1983-93

This article sets out to give an overview of the most significant poli cy changes and developments influencing the development of social prot ection in Australia in the past decade. Rather than focussing on an as sessment of gains and losses within the narrow confines of the state w elfare system, it looks at what has happened to the broad configuratio n of policies which have come to constitute Australia's highly distinc tive wage earners' welfare state. Overall, the conclusion is that the institutional forms and normative goals of the wage earner's welfare s tate have proved far more resilient and adaptable than critics have as sumed likely, with targeting, award-based superannuation and women's w elfare singled out as the most interesting areas in which Labor has co ntributed to the refurbishing of the established model.