Report shows three million people in poverty in Australia and why we must act to support each other
EXTRACT
The 2020 Poverty in Australia Overview, released today by the Australian Council of Social Service and UNSW Sydney, shows more than one in eight adults and one in six children live below the poverty line in Australia.
Australian Council of Social Service CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie said: “It’s not right that in Australia, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, more than three million people, including three quarters of a million children, are living in poverty.
“We want to support each other. It’s who we are as a nation. But our economy is leaving people behind, with persistently high poverty rates despite decades of uninterrupted economic growth.
“People living in poverty include young people working to get their foot in the door of the competitive job market, single parents juggling caring responsibilities, and older people confronting age discrimination.
“The job market is changing, with jobs less secure, and fewer entry level jobs than there used to be. Our housing costs are among the highest in the world and are locking people in poverty. For households of working age with the lowest incomes, average housing costs rose by 42% from 2005 to 2017.
“Australia’s income support system was designed to help people when they are going through tough times. But key income support payments – Newstart and Youth Allowance – have not increased in real terms in 26 years and they are both well below the poverty line.
SOURCE: Davidson, P., Saunders, P., Bradbury, B. and Wong, M. (2020), Poverty in Australia 2020: Part 1, Overview. ACOSS/UNSW Poverty and Inequality Partnership Report
No. 3, Sydney: ACOSS
Link to 2020 Poverty in Australia Overview
MEDIA reports:
- ‘Set up for failure’: Almost 18 per cent of Australian children in poverty /Judith Ireland, SMH, Friday 21st February 2020
- ACOSS report finds one in eight Australians living in poverty [Radio] — Cassandra Goldie with Hamish McDonald, RN Breakfast, Friday 21st February 2020
- One in eight people in Australia living in poverty, report finds / Luke Henriques-Gomes, The Guardian, Friday 21st February 2020
- One in eight Australian adults living in poverty, study shows [Requires Subscription] / Charis Chang, Daily Telegraph, Friday 21st February 2020
- One in eight Australians live in poverty — AAP, 9 News, Friday 21st February 2020
- One in eight Australian adults, one in six kids are living in poverty — AAP, SBS, Friday 21st February 2020
ACOSS Partners:
Anglicare Australia; Australian Red Cross; Australian Communities Foundation Impact Fund (& two sub-funds – Hart Line and Raettvisa); BB & A Miller Foundation; Brotherhood of St Laurence; cohealth; David Morawetz Social Justice Fund; Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand; Mission Australia; St Vincent de Paul Society; The Salvation Army; and The Smith Family
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
The Brotherhood of St Laurence acknowledges and recognises the Traditional Owners of the land upon which we live and work, and we pay our respects to their Elders both past and present.
Produced by the librarians at the Brotherhood of St Laurence in Melbourne, Australia
