Forming an inclusive community through pragmatic solidarity and social policy
Adam Mitchell
Catholic Welfare Australia
Contact Email:   adamcatholicwelfare.com.au

The concept of solidarity is under-utilised in the social policy arena, particularly in reference to the ethics of social policy formulation. Concepts of justice and fairness appear to be more popular when discussing the ethical appropriateness of certain policies. However, both justice and fairness are difficult ethical standards to establish and maintain when developing policies of inclusion for a plural society.

Using medical triage as an explanatory model, American philosopher, Richard Rorty, contends that providing assistance to those who are disadvantaged within our society often becomes an unviable option due to the personal and political pressures to maintain our middleclass hopes and aspirations. However, to place such aspirations above the well-being of the poor and disadvantaged causes a fragmentation of our national unity.

Solidarity can be realised at both a local and global level, but nationhood requires that it be recognised at a national level. Our understanding of nationhood is based upon unity and cohesion, and for this to be a reality requires that our sense of ‘we’ is genuine and not either hypocritical or self-deceptive due to our exclusive policies.

This paper wishes to argue that the principle and application of solidarity can assist in establishing a unified Australia by encouraging a cohesive moral community through the widening of ‘we-intentions’. Australian social policy must be imbibed by such ‘we-intentions’ if they are to be genuine policies of inclusion.

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