normally depend on secular employment or pensions for their income and are often unavailable for pastoral duties when they are fulfilling their obligations to their employer. Criticism Stipends can erode employee–employer relationship when used to hire junior teaching/research staff with lower pay and worse working conditions. In Australia, stipends may act as a means to circumvent a Church or Volunteer organization's adherence and obligations under Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) law which does not apply to volunteer associations, only to businesses which employ paid staff. See also Graduate assistant Honorarium – sometimes referred to as a stipend in the UK References Household income