Universal Basic Income (UBI)

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a simple but powerful idea: that every person deserves a guaranteed, regular income, not because they work, but because they exist. It’s not a welfare handout. It’s not tied to job-seeking or means-testing. It’s a foundation of security beneath every citizen, ensuring no one falls through the cracks.

On this page, you’ll find a clear explanation of what UBI is (and isn’t), the moral and economic arguments behind it, common myths debunked, and a vision of how this policy could reshape our future for the better, in Australia and beyond. We’ll explore the data, look at real-world trials from around the globe, and examine how a well-designed UBI could reduce poverty, support mental health, and empower people to live with dignity, choice, and economic stability.

We also examine the ripple effects of UBI on entrepreneurship, unpaid care work, and community life, areas often undervalued by traditional economic models. As automation, economic instability, and inequality continue to reshape the workforce, UBI offers a forward-thinking, compassionate response rooted in fairness, resilience, and the simple belief that everyone deserves a floor they can stand on, and the freedom to rise.

🌱 Why UBI And What Happens If We Don’t

What happens to a tree planted in poisoned soil? To a family one paycheck from collapse?

To a child who never sees their parents rest, except when they’re broken?

In a country like Australia, wealthy, resource-rich, and wired with possibility…

One in six children still lives below the poverty line.

Not because their parents don’t work, but because the system no longer works for them.

Wages are stagnant. Housing is unaffordable.

And for many, the treadmill only gets faster.

Universal Basic Income is not a fantasy. It’s a foundation.

A simple promise: that no matter who you are, or where you were born, you deserve to stand on solid ground. UBI doesn’t replace work. It makes work fairer. It gives people the power to say no to exploitation, yes to meaning, and maybe to the dreams they left behind.

It’s not about paying people to do nothing.

It’s about ensuring no one is forced to do anything just to survive.

In trial after trial — Finland, Canada, Kenya — the results were clear:

Reduced stress, anxiety, and hospital visits

Increased school attendance and learning outcomes

Higher entrepreneurial activity and local spending

More time for family, caregiving, and community

No significant drop in workforce participation

Do nothing, and we see more burnout, more broken systems, more quiet despair.

But do this right, and we ignite something powerful:

Stability. Creativity. Peace.

The ability to plan more than a week ahead.