Poverty

The cost of living in Australia has risen drastically over the last couple of years. Current cost of living is now at its highest, with record high petrol prices and increasing interest rates, consequently having a negative impact on the price of transport, utilities, rent and groceries. This significantly increases the struggle to make ends meet for a large proportion of the Australian population and in some cases leading to poverty. 

Rosemary Abdallah, a social worker from the Adelaide Hutt Street Centre, who has hands-on experience with people in poverty on a daily basis, strongly believes that the Australian welfare system is not sufficient enough to struggling families.

With the increase in living cost, there are obviously higher demands for increased welfare benefits which not only include money but also increased reduction in medical and dental cost. Emphasising with little hope, Abdallah exclaims that even if welfare benefits were to increase, without drastic improvement, “it will be no were in accordance to what is really necessary” as the cost of living has risen to rapidly in recent years.

The are numerous causes of poverty, certain studies shown by ACOSS (Australian Council of Social Services) and Australian Democratic Society strongly agree that underemployment or ‘the working poor’, unemployment and increased living expenses are the main causes of hidden poverty.

According to the Henderson Poverty Line, there are approximately two million people living in poverty within Australia. This number is absolutely absurd, especially in such a developed country like Australia.

Pensioner and single mother, Sarah Core, lives without most of the essentials we take for granted. Living in a rented home built for two with five young children to feed, Sarah struggles to provide for her growing children. With no time to work, she relies on welfare money in order to provide for her children.

Sarah says “A couple of years ago I would have been fine living with welfare, but now with the cost of groceries and transport, I’m barely able to feed my family.”

“Working doesn’t make me much more money, especially with my busy schedule, dedicating most of my time to my five children as kindergarten and after hour-school prices care are ridiculous!” She says.

Abdallah states that “poverty is most common amongst single parent mothers and those who have minimal skills in the workplace”. Minimal skills equals minimal employment opportunity and hence, insufficient wages that will lift struggling Australians above the poverty line and pay for basic living cost.  In fact there are approximately 1 million Australians who are underemployed due lack of full time employment with wages that do not have the capacity to comfortably support the struggling families of Australia. This is especially since 87% of jobs created since 1990 have annual wages of less than $26,000 annually. The unemployment rate in Australia is also as high as 4.9% which is equivalent to approximately 5,955,290 Australians between the ages of 15-65.