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In this contribution to the CIS Social Welfare Research Program, Suri Ratnapala, Lecturer in Law at the University of Queensland, explains why the welfare state is a constant source of political conflict:
- In Australia, the strict constitutional distinction between legislation and administration has been obliterated by the courts.
- As a result, welfare policy is typically promoted by delegated legislation and administrative regulations that escape parliamentary scrutiny and judicial control.
- This encourages special interests to lobby government for welfare programs that benefits them at the expense of the community.
