 
Being Poor in the Lucky Country
Despite 10 years of economic prosperity, there has been no improvement in the numbers of Australians in poverty, which is estimated to be at least one million people. Being poor in Australia means having to go without the things that most of us would take for granted. It means maybe not having a phone or a car or being able to go to the dentist; It may mean not ever going on a holiday or not being able to afford to go on a school excursion. It means having to ask people like the St. Vincent de Paul Society for food vouchers or for help to pay the electricity bill. This is the reality for many Australians.
 
Community Groups highlight poverty fight
Australia's political leaders are being asked to zero-in
on poverty. It is Anti-Poverty Week and a consortium of
community organisations will discuss ways of
reducing hardships faced by people both overseas, and in Australia
where an estimated one million people live in poverty - ABC Online
Religious Leaders Call for National Forum on Poverty
Archbishop Francis Carroll, along with other leaders of Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious communities in Australia, has called upon the Federal Government to support a national forum on poverty. "If current trends in inequitable wealth distribution continue, Australia is in danger of losing its traditional character of the 'fair go'," Archbishop Carroll said - Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Higher Ed package fails to address student poverty
The Government's higher education proposals fail to address the problem of student poverty and are likely
to lead to fewer students from low income families attending university, finds an ACOSS Senate Inquiry
submission released today. ACOSS President Andrew McCallum said: "Students from poor backgrounds are already around half as likely to attend university as those from higher income families and this is likely to worsen." - ACOSS
 
Danusia Does it
Danusia Kaska spent her childhood Christmasses giving away her presents to less fortunate children. It's no surprise then, that at 28, Danusia has been appointed the youngest ever National Vice-President of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Australia. Her appointment is recognition of a life dedicated to alieviation of poverty, both at home and overseas - Australian Catholic
 
A fair go education system: the advantages for all of us
Most Australians still hold firm to the view that ours is an egalitarian society even though Australia has relatively high levels of inequality by international standards. It might be unfashionable to draw attention to poverty in Australia, writes Carmen Lawrence, but real poverty exists and leads to bitter divisions that increase the psychological and social distance between the haves and the have nots - SMH
 
National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling
The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) has been around since 1991. Using a  research tool called STINMOD, NATSEM is able to predict the financial impact of Government policy changes on ordinary Australians. While it can be a little dense, NATSEM provides hard information on subjects such as "NSW Hospitals: pro rich or pro poor?" and "Is it worth working now?" - a study of the effect of tax changes on working women, and studies on the impact of poverty on children. See also the website of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, www.bsl.org.au/about/vision.html - an Anglican advocacy organisation for the poor of Australia.
 
Too Young to Choose
"Whatever else it means, poverty always puts you in the position of being 'shut out'. It begins before you
know it, often by being shut out from a healthy diet or smoke-free air because the only pleasure your
mummy gets is a cigarette." Rev Erik Cramb, Church Action on Poverty
 
True Stories: Hired Assassins: Political Cartooning In Australia
Poverty, and other social wrongs, continue partly because those in authority persuade the electorate of the justice of the status quo. Political Cartoonists identify - and skewer - the hypocrisy of much of the decision making in government. Often what cartoonists say is more poignant and honest than the political observations on the page next to their drawing - ABC TV, Thursday 16 October, 10.00 pm
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