Francess

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One in eight Australians live below the poverty line, a recent report finds

Australia may be considered one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but findings from the Poverty in Australia 2022 report show that the level of poverty in the nation has become higher than ever.

Research by the University of New South Wales Sydney and the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) found that one in eight adults and one in six children live in poverty in Australia.


Professor Carla Treloar, Director of the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Sydney, puts it in perspective: ‘There are 3.3 million people in Australia desperately struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. There are 761,000 children who are denied a good start to life.’

People in poverty also fall behind as living costs put households under greater pressure.

The temporary income support when the pandemic began in 2020 eased the strain on poorer households in the country. However, it was abolished last year, continuing the steady increase of the poverty gap observed in the last two decades.

boy-g9bb7a44ce_640.jpg
Poverty deprives children of the right to enjoy their childhood. Credit: Greyerbaby/Pixabay

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Coronavirus Supplement and Economic Support Payment pulled 646,000 people, including 245,000 children, above the poverty line.


While the beginning of 2020 saw the poverty rate rise to 14.6 per cent, the support payments introduced during the second quarter of the year led to the drop of the rate to 12 per cent, which was a 17-year low. The child poverty rate decreased from 19 per cent in March 2020 to 13.7 per cent in June of the same year, which was a 20-year low. Treloar said: ‘That is a huge advance in an incredibly short period.’

However, the Coronavirus Supplement was stopped in April 2021. JobSeeker and related payments were increased by only $25 a week, a stark difference from the $275 a week supplied by the support payments.

Treloar said that the report proved that there is a clear way to reduce poverty in Australia.

Aussies on Reddit reacted to the poverty report.

A top comment said: ‘That is a completely f****d statistic in this country.’

Another made a sarcastic comment: ‘Mate, the stage three tax cuts are only worth $243b over ten years.’

A third chimed in: ‘Yep, at the cost of $300k a house, you could build 800,000 affordable homes with that money. But rich people are more important.’


Others could not believe the dire situation people in the country are in. One Redditor said: ‘$488 a week for a single adult? How are they surviving on that? That's just a hole dug for people seeking employment.’

Another user replied that it’s even worse: ‘It's less than that... $334.20 a week. Yes, rent assist will bump it up, but most people are in share housing, which you have to do, and they aren't entitled to much of it. It's based on a percentage of your rent. It's just enough to starve on.’ The commenter who lived the experience added: ‘I do not miss trying to live on that. I struggled without the responsibility of rent.’

A Redditor felt that the matter wasn’t being treated with enough urgency: ‘Do we have to wait until seven out of eight Australians are living in poverty before doing anything about it?’

Meanwhile, others shared their own experiences living in poverty.

One said: ‘I can't tell you how bizarre it feels to be significantly below the poverty line and work alongside (different industries but same project) people, mostly office workers who make 5x my salary while doing a fraction of the work. Their conversations are so otherworldly. Dropping ten grand on a weekend out or cosmetic surgery like it's nothing. It feels like I'm an NPC in a neo-feudalistic novel.’ NPC refers to non-playable characters, a term often used in video games for characters you cannot control.

Another stated it in clear terms: ‘I am living in poverty.’


Somebody else responded: ‘Same brother. Hang in there, we might come good someday, you know? At least that's what I keep telling myself over and over. I live in rural Queensland where the job options are few and far between, but on Centrelink I can't afford to live near/in a city to try and secure work there, nor would I be able to afford to move if I was offered a job elsewhere. It's all bad.’ They continued: ‘I know a few people at this same level It’s terrifying how many of us walk the line of being suicidal pretty much all the time.’

Socioeconomic disadvantage has long been associated with poor mental health. In an interview with SBS, public health leader Irene Verins said: ‘If you are lower on the social ladder, and if you are poorer, then you are more likely to experience poor health.’

It doesn’t help that accidents or unexpected events are a bigger burden to the poor, especially when there is already limited income to spend on necessities. Poor mental health also gets in the way of one’s ability to work, and then it becomes a cycle that is hard to escape.

The high cost of living is also considered a great risk factor for suicide. A survey by Suicide Prevention Australia found that 70 per cent of Australians find that the social and economic circumstances they face give them higher levels of distress compared to 12 months ago.


Meanwhile, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that instances of suicide were highest in the most disadvantaged areas. The rate is double that of those living in the highest socioeconomic areas.

You can read the Poverty in Australia 2022 report here.

For the longest time, the Henderson Poverty Line was used to measure poverty levels in Australia. However, with the metric failing to account for societal changes in Australia during the past decades, there have been proposals to use alternative methods, as well as calls for an official measurement of poverty. Watch the short ABC clip that explains the idea below:



Members, if you are ever struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. We’ve included some resources below:

Lifeline provides 24-hour crisis counselling, support groups and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14, text on 0477 13 11 14 (12pm to midnight AEST) or chat online.

Suicide Call Back Service provides 24/7 support if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal. Call 1300 659 467.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help now, call triple zero (000).
 
Age is not something that can at all be faked. I am as a near seventy years old person who is in great support of the Pension to be increased, for all those above eighty years. And every time the pension increases, for those above eighty to have their pensions, likewise increase.

You can't just suddenly become eighty years old and so nobody is able to Rought the system.
What Greater acknowledgement can a Nation offer its citizens, that the thought that once a person reaches Eighty years of age, that all financial hardship they may have encountered up till then, ceases, and they can spend their retirement in contentment peace.

This could by extension also stimulate the Nation's economy, as people are people and through excursions, purchases etc they will spend/ recirculate the money and not save it.

Just a thought.
 
Poverty in Australia?? So what would we say about some of the countries that have no food at all, no water, no proper medical assistance, no ways of proper education, children dying everyday due to malnourishment and diseases??
I believe some are dealing with tough times, but they still have free health systems, clothes to put on, free education and so many hand outs
from charity such as food, clothing etc.
When I lived in Brisbane, there were vans in the morning everywhere giving breakfast to people.
So, for me, poverty is when you have nothing or nowhere to ask for help.
I’ve heard on TV people offering jobs because they need employees, but nobody want to work.
Some, dare to say live on TV too, they rather be on employment benefit.
And I have witnessed people saying life is getting difficult, but they still spending money on non-essentials. Maybe some education on how to manage their money would help a lot of people.
I have had some hard times also, but managing my money wisely, helped a lot not going without the essentials in our household.
 
I've worked all my life and supported my family up to 2 years ago.

I'm now on jobseeker which I never ever thought I would be. All due to a surgeons negligence .

I'm looking at transferring to a disability pension I'm 61 and now to unwell to work.

If I had rent to pay or a mortgage I would definitely be in the poverty line.

Maybe the government needs to give less money to overseas countries and start helping our own 🤔
 
I've worked all my life and supported my family up to 2 years ago.

I'm now on jobseeker which I never ever thought I would be. All due to a surgeons negligence .

I'm looking at transferring to a disability pension I'm 61 and now to unwell to work.

If I had rent to pay or a mortgage I would definitely be in the poverty line.

Maybe the government needs to give less money to overseas countries and start helping our own 🤔
I've worked all my life and supported my family up to 2 years ago.

I'm now on jobseeker which I never ever thought I would be. All due to a surgeons negligence .

I'm looking at transferring to a disability pension I'm 61 and now to unwell to work.

If I had rent to pay or a mortgage I would definitely be in the poverty line.

Maybe the government needs to give less money to overseas countries and start helping our own 🤔
What about the money they spend on weapons for wars, going into space and other things that doesn’t make any sense?
Worldwide, everything is wrong, that’s why there‘s so much suffering!!
 
I've worked all my life and supported my family up to 2 years ago.

I'm now on jobseeker which I never ever thought I would be. All due to a surgeons negligence .

I'm looking at transferring to a disability pension I'm 61 and now to unwell to work.

If I had rent to pay or a mortgage I would definitely be in the poverty line.

Maybe the government needs to give less money to overseas countries and start helping our own 🤔
 
Good luck getting a disability pension. My sister is 59, has a work injury that has affected her mobility so bad she can’t work, and most of the time has trouble even mobilising to do anything, but oh no she is not eligible for a disability pension because with major surgery Centrelink “experts” claim her mobility can be fixed. Since she can’t afford private health cover and can’t get on the public hospital waiting list for a work injury that should, but won’t be, covered by compensation, she will have to suffer for the rest of her life and live in poverty as Centrelink expect her to stay on job seeker and be able to pay for all the additional medical expenses caused by her injury, out of the paltry amount they pay her. She is currently living in a shed with only a generator for power, which costs $20 a day to run, every time it storms the shed floods, but she can’t afford to live anywhere else due to the high cost and unavailability of rentals. She had to leave a rental after 8 years as the owner wanted to sell, luckily she was offered the shed to live in or she would be in a tent or her old car.
 
One in eight Australians live below the poverty line, a recent report finds

Australia may be considered one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but findings from the Poverty in Australia 2022 report show that the level of poverty in the nation has become higher than ever.

Research by the University of New South Wales Sydney and the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) found that one in eight adults and one in six children live in poverty in Australia.


Professor Carla Treloar, Director of the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Sydney, puts it in perspective: ‘There are 3.3 million people in Australia desperately struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. There are 761,000 children who are denied a good start to life.’

People in poverty also fall behind as living costs put households under greater pressure.

The temporary income support when the pandemic began in 2020 eased the strain on poorer households in the country. However, it was abolished last year, continuing the steady increase of the poverty gap observed in the last two decades.

View attachment 10604
Poverty deprives children of the right to enjoy their childhood. Credit: Greyerbaby/Pixabay

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Coronavirus Supplement and Economic Support Payment pulled 646,000 people, including 245,000 children, above the poverty line.


While the beginning of 2020 saw the poverty rate rise to 14.6 per cent, the support payments introduced during the second quarter of the year led to the drop of the rate to 12 per cent, which was a 17-year low. The child poverty rate decreased from 19 per cent in March 2020 to 13.7 per cent in June of the same year, which was a 20-year low. Treloar said: ‘That is a huge advance in an incredibly short period.’

However, the Coronavirus Supplement was stopped in April 2021. JobSeeker and related payments were increased by only $25 a week, a stark difference from the $275 a week supplied by the support payments.

Treloar said that the report proved that there is a clear way to reduce poverty in Australia.

Aussies on Reddit reacted to the poverty report.

A top comment said: ‘That is a completely f****d statistic in this country.’

Another made a sarcastic comment: ‘Mate, the stage three tax cuts are only worth $243b over ten years.’

A third chimed in: ‘Yep, at the cost of $300k a house, you could build 800,000 affordable homes with that money. But rich people are more important.’


Others could not believe the dire situation people in the country are in. One Redditor said: ‘$488 a week for a single adult? How are they surviving on that? That's just a hole dug for people seeking employment.’

Another user replied that it’s even worse: ‘It's less than that... $334.20 a week. Yes, rent assist will bump it up, but most people are in share housing, which you have to do, and they aren't entitled to much of it. It's based on a percentage of your rent. It's just enough to starve on.’ The commenter who lived the experience added: ‘I do not miss trying to live on that. I struggled without the responsibility of rent.’

A Redditor felt that the matter wasn’t being treated with enough urgency: ‘Do we have to wait until seven out of eight Australians are living in poverty before doing anything about it?’

Meanwhile, others shared their own experiences living in poverty.

One said: ‘I can't tell you how bizarre it feels to be significantly below the poverty line and work alongside (different industries but same project) people, mostly office workers who make 5x my salary while doing a fraction of the work. Their conversations are so otherworldly. Dropping ten grand on a weekend out or cosmetic surgery like it's nothing. It feels like I'm an NPC in a neo-feudalistic novel.’ NPC refers to non-playable characters, a term often used in video games for characters you cannot control.

Another stated it in clear terms: ‘I am living in poverty.’


Somebody else responded: ‘Same brother. Hang in there, we might come good someday, you know? At least that's what I keep telling myself over and over. I live in rural Queensland where the job options are few and far between, but on Centrelink I can't afford to live near/in a city to try and secure work there, nor would I be able to afford to move if I was offered a job elsewhere. It's all bad.’ They continued: ‘I know a few people at this same level It’s terrifying how many of us walk the line of being suicidal pretty much all the time.’

Socioeconomic disadvantage has long been associated with poor mental health. In an interview with SBS, public health leader Irene Verins said: ‘If you are lower on the social ladder, and if you are poorer, then you are more likely to experience poor health.’

It doesn’t help that accidents or unexpected events are a bigger burden to the poor, especially when there is already limited income to spend on necessities. Poor mental health also gets in the way of one’s ability to work, and then it becomes a cycle that is hard to escape.

The high cost of living is also considered a great risk factor for suicide. A survey by Suicide Prevention Australia found that 70 per cent of Australians find that the social and economic circumstances they face give them higher levels of distress compared to 12 months ago.


Meanwhile, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that instances of suicide were highest in the most disadvantaged areas. The rate is double that of those living in the highest socioeconomic areas.

You can read the Poverty in Australia 2022 report here.

For the longest time, the Henderson Poverty Line was used to measure poverty levels in Australia. However, with the metric failing to account for societal changes in Australia during the past decades, there have been proposals to use alternative methods, as well as calls for an official measurement of poverty. Watch the short ABC clip that explains the idea below:



Members, if you are ever struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. We’ve included some resources below:

Lifeline provides 24-hour crisis counselling, support groups and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14, text on 0477 13 11 14 (12pm to midnight AEST) or chat online.

Suicide Call Back Service provides 24/7 support if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal. Call 1300 659 467.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help now, call triple zero (000).

As an age Pensioner without Super, I had too stop working at 48, my Doctor’s and Specialist’s, all wrote letters to my Super Fund, telling them why I would not be able to hold a job of any sort again. I had the princely princely sum of $2,400 in Super and I also had an insurance component built into it I could apply for if I couldn’t work again and this is what these letters were sent to my Super Fund for. However they refused to pay me the insurance saying in their opinion because I was only 48, there Was still a possibility I might work again. A couple of years ago I put it in the hands of my Solicitor’s, who tried to get the Insurance payout but even though I had never been able too work again they still refused my claim. Getting by on just the Pension is hard bloody hard, you are constantly begging Peter to Pay Paul. I’m fortunate enough to government housing but I got a a letter just before Christmas telling me my Rent Would be going up $10 a week as from the2/1/2023. So the rise we got is going back into the government’s pocket. They say it is for maintenance of our home’s and too this I say BS, they do no maintenance. Private Landlords have to pay for the upkeep of their rentals so why shouldn’t this apply to Government home’s, they don’t even paint them any more, that is up to you the Tennent as is most maintenance. Fortunately none of this has affected me Mentally but I can understand how it would effect many others. I could go on but it would be nothing people like me don’t already know.
 
Good luck getting a disability pension. My sister is 59, has a work injury that has affected her mobility so bad she can’t work, and most of the time has trouble even mobilising to do anything, but oh no she is not eligible for a disability pension because with major surgery Centrelink “experts” claim her mobility can be fixed. Since she can’t afford private health cover and can’t get on the public hospital waiting list for a work injury that should, but won’t be, covered by compensation, she will have to suffer for the rest of her life and live in poverty as Centrelink expect her to stay on job seeker and be able to pay for all the additional medical expenses caused by her injury, out of the paltry amount they pay her. She is currently living in a shed with only a generator for power, which costs $20 a day to run, every time it storms the shed floods, but she can’t afford to live anywhere else due to the high cost and unavailability of rentals. She had to leave a rental after 8 years as the owner wanted to sell, luckily she was offered the shed to live in or she would be in a tent or her old car.
That's so sad. Is she on a public hospital waiting list ? Centrelink do want to know if you can be cured and your problem is stabilised.

I've had 2 extra surgeries after my original surgery and my whole umbilicus I also lost a large ammount of my abdominal wall and now have nerve damage due to stitches going into a nerve. I'm also suffering depression and anxiety because of the negligence of the first surgeon .
 

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