91Èȱ¬

The UK is not alone when it comes to welfare reform backlash.

In Ireland's budget address on Tuesday, the government announced that disability allowance payments would no-longer be made to 16 and 17 year olds and payments to 18 to 21 year olds would fall from 182 to 100 Euros per week.

The decision was met with %3Ca%20href="https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1208/1224308743796.html">concern from backbenchers, disability organisations and families of severely disabled children.

On Thursday, while introducing the details of Ireland's 2012 social care bill, minister for social protection Joan Burton dropped the proposed %3Ca%20href="https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1209/1224308799116.html">disability allowance reforms. She said, "I am sorry if these proposals caused anxiety among people with disabilities and their families".

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a report released by Pricewaterhousecoopers at the end of last week, shows that Australians with a disability are at a greater risk of living in poverty and far less likely to be able to find employment than those in other developed nations in the OECD.

Tom Bridge summarised the report's key findings for the %3Ca%20href="https://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2011/12/01/3381418.htm">ABC Ramp Up website.

"The report said that 45% of people with a disability in Australia are likely to be living at or near the poverty line. The most horrific part of that statistic is that it places Australia at 27th of 27 nations in the OECD.

"Australia is still well and truly in the bottom half of countries when it comes to employment prospects, ranking 21st out of 27 OECD nations ... with only 31% of people with a disability in active employment."

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