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Basic income: trade-offs and bottom lines

Bowman, D ; Mallett, S ; Cooney-O'Donoghue, D (Brotherhood of St Laurence, 2017-11-01)

In 2016, Professor Brian Howe, University of Melbourne academic and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Security in the Hawke Labor Government, recognised the opportunity to celebrate the 50 plus year legacy of Professor Ronald Henderson, the inaugural director of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne. Professor Henderson led the National Poverty Inquiry (1972–1975), which resulted in the Henderson Poverty Line as well as a proposal for a Basic Income. The crucial role of social security in mitigating the negative impact of poverty was also considered in the poverty inquiry. Professor Howe, together with Professor Shelley Mallett, General Manager of the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s Research and Policy Centre, and the Melbourne Institute have partnered in a program of activities throughout 2016 and 2017 that honour Professor Henderson’s work on poverty, social security and basic income. This working paper was commissioned by the partners to review existing proposals and trials of basic income and inform discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of basic income approaches, especially in relation to income adequacy. Further papers on basic income will be developed by a range of authors as part of the Henderson Program.