A former senior Australian government minister attracted continuing criticism on Wednesday after saying unemployed welfare recipients should be required to take contraceptive measures and not have children until they find a job.

Gary Johns, former Special Minister for State during the 1990s in Paul Keating's Labor government, made his incendiary comments in an opinion article in The Australian newspaper.

"There should be no taxpayer inducement to have children," Johns wrote. "Potential parents of poor means, poor skills or bad character will choose to have children. So be it. But no one should enter parenthood while on a benefit."

"Some families, some communities, some cultures breed strife. Governments cannot always fix it. Compulsory contraception for those on benefits would help crack intergenerational reproduction of strife. As for inadequate non-beneficiaries, we just have to grin and bear it."

He added: "But the idea that someone can have the taxpayer, as of right, fund the choice to have a child is repugnant."

Johns continued to express his opinion in radio and television interviews on Wednesday, drawing further widespread criticism.

Therese Edwards, head of the National Council for Single Mothers and Their Children, said Johns' ideas were divisive in the extreme.

"It's ill-informed, poor policy and dangerous because of the stigma it attaches to single parents," Edwards told The Guardian. "It's a simplistic, weak argument. It's rare to come across any family who's struggling on benefits who thinks it's a wonderful life. They're more aware of what they're missing out on."

Edwards said Johns' opinion was "born out of ignorance."

Former social justice commissioner Tom Calma said not allowing people to have children was a "slippery slope."

"What it is is welfare bashing," Calma said. "We don't acknowledge that government has a responsibility to all people."

"We do provide welfare for people who are not poor through government subsidies... because we are a caring society."

This was reference to the fact that middle class Australian families receive family assistance payments from the government as well. Endi

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