NEXT MONTH, LEADERS from business, unions, civil society and government will gather to tackle Australia’s economic future at the Economic Reform Roundtable. It claims that excessive government spending, welfare dependency, and the public service are driving economic decline. Its so-called arguments are little more than an unthinking rehash of the most tired neoliberal economic orthodoxy. If there are any bludgers in the system, it is not hard-working Australians or those who need welfare support. Australia faces real economic challenges, but scapegoating welfare recipients is not a solution — it’s a mean-spirited distraction.