Breaching and social exclusion: the lived experience of disadvantaged young people
Lorraine Kerr and Harry Savelsberg
Deakin University and University of South Australia
Contact Email:   lorrainkdeakin.edu.au

The anomalies inherent in contemporary ‘active society’ approaches to employment policy and initiatives designed to act as ‘disincentives’ to ‘welfare dependency’ are brought into sharp focus in the lived experience of young people who are breached for non-compliance with an Activity Test requirement. This paper draws on the findings of three consecutive studies, conducted over a five year period, which explored the impact of policy changes (Youth Allowance and Mutual Obligations) on the lives of disadvantaged young people. Our findings, based on interviews with disadvantaged young people and service providers, indicate that - contrary to stated intentions - the current policy regime fosters social exclusion, does nothing to ameliorate youth unemployment and indeed challenges the core foundations of citizenship for young people already suffering significant marginalisation and deprivation. We argue that such policies lead to outcomes that violate basic human rights in what is commonly understood to be a ‘developed’ and democratic society.

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