ANTI POVERTY WEEK

This week is Anti-Poverty Week. We know that:

·         Three million or over one in eight Australians live below the poverty line.

·         More than one in six Australian children – or three quarters of a million – live in poverty – a devastating and damning statistic.

The Anglicare Jobs Availability Snapshot 2019 demonstrated that:

·         There aren’t enough jobs for the number of jobseekers – employers receive on average 19 applications per vacancy advertised; and

·         Those that do have a job aren’t receiving enough hours – with over 1.1 million Australians underemployed.

And just yesterday, the International Monetary Fund downgraded Australia’s projected economic growth.

This is not an academic discussion. This has real world consequences on real lives in a first world nation touched by the scourge of poverty. 

 

Yet, this out of touch Government appears to have its head buried in the sand – it stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that we have a serious problem facing this country of widespread poverty. 

 

This government has no plan to create jobs and no plan to alleviate poverty.

 

In a developed country like Australia, everyone should be able to afford the basics.

 

And children should all get a good start in life – no matter their parents’ circumstances.

 

Children who grow up in poverty are particularly tragic because they are deprived of a fair start in life – before they can even make decisions for themselves.

 

The proportion of children living in poverty is higher than any other age group.

 

For children, it can mean going to bed on an empty stomach.

 

It can mean not having a safe and secure home to live or sleep.

 

It can mean going to school not only with the pain of hunger, but the shame among their peers that they are missing out.

 

Or they don’t go to school at all.

 

They don’t get to go on school excursions or participate in team sports or spend time with friends – leaving them lonely and isolated.

 

They are missing out on healthy food, physical activity and interacting with people their age – all critical to a child’s development – the first five years of their life being the most important.

 

Children living poverty can experience severe physical and health complications.

 

This will impact on their concentration in the classroom; their homework; and ultimately completing their education. 

 

They are experiencing anxieties that they should not have to be dealing with – and that will remain with them for a lifetime.

 

Children in poverty are not only anxious for themselves, they worry for their parents and family.

 

For families living in poverty, parents are struggling to get to the end of their pay-cheque – or to even have a pay-cheque.

 

Parents are skipping one or two meals each week – sometimes they are going a whole day without food.

 

They are delaying buying medicine or going to the dentist.

 

They are driving without a license just to get their children to school.

 

They are forgoing new shoes, a haircut or new clothes for a job interview.

 

They do their best to shield their children from these realities – mums assuring their kids, “don’t worry, I ate while I was cooking”.

 

No parent should ever have to do this. And it’s not always possible to shield children from these realities.

 

The impact of poverty especially on our young children can have a profound and lasting impact – on their outlook on life, as well as their quality of life outcomes.

 

And we know that poverty and the cycle of poverty can transcend generations.

 

Poverty snuffs out potential – poverty means you can’t imagine a future.

 

When our citizens are deprived of the opportunity to reach their full potential – our workforce is deprived; our economy is deprived – we as a country are diminished.

 

When our children our deprived – our country’s future is diminished.

 

So whether you live above or below the poverty line – poverty and its impacts affect us all.

 

When a person cannot afford clothes for a job interview or transport costs to get there, they cannot re-enter the workforce and contribute to the economy.

 

When they have to choose between a bus fare to get to a job interview or medication from the chemist – they cannot properly participate in our society.

 

When people cannot afford the basics and essentials, our local businesses have less to spend on wages and jobs.

 

And when businesses have less to spend on wages and jobs – people have less to spend at local businesses.

 

All Australians feel the impact or effects of poverty in one form or another.

 

They feel it in their stagnant wages and they feel it in their lack of job security.

 

Poverty is a collective challenge and addressing poverty is a collective responsibility.

 

It requires leadership – something this Government seems to lack and seems to shirk.

 

When Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke committed our country to eliminating child poverty – we may not have eliminated it completely – but let us never forget the huge strides we as a country made: reducing child poverty by 30 per cent.

 

The Hawke Labor Government demonstrated to us the power and capacity of government to lead and to enact real change – so long as it is prepared to demonstrate real leadership.

 

It was a different time with a different government under different leadership.

 

Well this government refuses to even acknowledge the critical socio-economic challenge threatening the Australian way of life – never mind that it won’t lift a finger to do something about it. 

 

Meanwhile, Australia waits and waits and waits.

 

This Government has got plenty of old stale ideas. It’s got nothing more than distractions and wedges.

 

It is so obsessed with devising new and humiliating ways to harass and prod vulnerable Australians with urine tests and cashless cards – it just doesn’t have any ideas to create jobs or alleviate poverty.

 

Is this what Australians can expect over the next three years?

 

Australians simply want this government to do something. 

 

Instead, over the past five years – under the Liberals and Nationals – Australians over 55 relying on Newstart has surged by a staggering 45 per cent.

 

We know that Australians over the age of 55 have particular difficulty re-entering the workforce.

 

They face structural barriers and often they need a bit more time to retrain and reskill, so that they can get back into the workforce.

 

They also face significant workplace age discrimination.

 

These are people have worked hard and contributed all of their lives, but have been made redundant.

 

These are people who have spent years as carers – but have seen changes in personal circumstances, such as a loved one being moved into a home – they too will require a bit more time to retrain and prepare themselves to re-enter the workforce.

 

And yet the Government’s refusal to increase Newstart seems to be detached from reality.

 

They say that Newstart is only meant to be a temporary payment.

 

And yet the average person on Newstart has been on the payment for three years.

 

And with over 1.1 million Australians underemployed, we know that many of those who have a job will still depend on Newstart.

 

One in five people on Newstart have a job – some 130,000 people – but do not earn income or receive enough hours at work, to be able to get off the payment.

 

Australians are doing it tough.

 

Many have not seen a pay-rise in a very long time.

 

Many only see the cost of living creeping over their pay-cheque, with less and less left over for them.

 

Why doesn’t the Prime Minister have a plan for jobs and wages?

 

Why doesn’t he have a plan to alleviate poverty and disadvantage?

 

As I said, three quarter of a million children face uncertain futures – when our children are deprived, the future of our country is diminished.