The Green Institute in Australia has just released a report named “Views of a universal basic income – perspectives from across Australia”. Published under the Creative Commons, it is a compilation of articles by several Australian authors, namely Tim Hollo, Tjarana Goreng-Goreng, Millie Rooney, Lyndsey Jackson and Amy Patterson, Michael Croft, Patrick Gibb, Luke van der Muelen, Petra Bueskens and David Pledger.

 

This report is a compilation of several views on basic income, from very different social corners of the Australian society. Tim Hollo, this report’s editor, Executive Director of the Green Institute and contributor to the report with the article “Views on a UBI”, starts out by asking three fundamental questions:

 

“What would your life be like if you – and everyone around you – had a Universal Basic Income?

 

How would it change the choices you make to know that there was a no-questions-asked, non-judgmental, society-wide support in place that we all contribute to and all benefit from?

 

What would you do differently if our society explicitly valued unpaid contributions, recognizing that paid employment isn’t the only – or even necessarily the best – way to participate?”

 

The answers, views and thoughts of the above cited authors follow from these fundamental questions about the human condition. Their perspectives stem from their particular angles and walks of life, which vary from indigenous culture, caring, welfare experience, college studying to unionism, gender equality and art.

 

More information at:

Gareth Hutchens, “Universal basic income could greatly improve workers’ lives, report argues”, The Guardian, 14th June 2017

Tim Hollo (Ed.), “Views of a universal basic income: perspectives from across Australia”, The Green Institute, June 2017

The Green Institute website