Mr Morrison told the National Press Club that debates around Australia's $150 billion welfare system and $7 billion childcare payments should not simply be about "whether we are better or worse off as a result of any individual measure".

"It's about, 'will the next generation be better or worse off?'"

In his first address to the club as Social Services Minister, Mr Morrison lamented that "apathy" today would result in a terrible "harvest" in the years to come.

"My concern is that right now there seems to be no appetite for the change that is necessary," he said on Wednesday, referring specifically to the community, Parliament, opposition and crossbench.

As the government released the long-awaited McClure welfare review that called for the number of payments to be cut down to make the system less confusing, Mr Morrison said there was "no doubt" that the system needed to change.

He also pointed to the increasing cost of the welfare system, which currently takes up a third of government spending and is projected to be the biggest growing area of government spending over the next four years.

"Unless there is major structural change that is made to our welfare system over the next decade and beyond, over a generation, our social services expenditure will swallow the budget."

Mr Morrison used his speech to outline his priorities for welfare reform, including getting families - particularly young mothers - back to work, getting young people into the workforce in the first place, and encouraging older Australians - particularly women over 65 - to stay at work.

While he said it was not the government's job to tell people how to care for their children, he noted the main reason young parents were not going back to work was the cost of childcare.

"That's the kitchen table conversation that I want to influence," Mr Morrison said.

The Social Services Minister described youth unemployment - which is currently at 14 per cent for those between 15 and 24 - as a "vexing issue".

While he said he did not have any "magic solutions", he praised the New Zealand welfare model, recommended by the McClure report, which calls for investment in at risk young people upfront so they do not spend their lives on welfare.

The McClure report received mixed reviews from the community sector.

The Australian Council of Social Service praised the review for the way it identified how complex the current system is but also said it was a "missed opportunity" to move to a system that was based on people's financial need "rather than decisions about deservedness".

People with Disability Australia president Craig Wallace welcomed the report's call for a disability and jobs plan, but said the government should not cherry pick the findings and only make savings from them.

At the press club Mr Morrison stressed that he did not see Australia's ageing population as a problem.

"I don't have a view that the ageing of the population is a terminal illness for the country," he said, adding that older generations do not have to stop driving economic growth.

The Social Services Minister said that not only should Australians be staying at work longer but accessing their wealth better in later years.

While he again ruled out incorporating the family home into the assets test for the pension, he said he was looking for "sensible, pragmatic" ways to "unlock" assets in later life.

Mr Morrison also told the Press Club that serious work was also needed on the outdated IT system that underpins welfare payments before serious reform could progress.

When pressed on how he wanted politicians to behave to upgrade political debate, Mr Morrison said that he wanted the opposition to come forward with proposals and for debates to held away from a "politically combative space".

He did not respond when asked how the Coalition had contributed to the current climate of debate.

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