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Poverty 10-09.indd
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facts at a glance
last updated October 2009 HOPE IS HERE. SA.
Poverty and disadvantage
What is Poverty? poverty, such as 95% of
Our Position Statemen
unemployed households, t
Poverty takes on many forms and has many causes. Poverty is Anglicare SA
ts
almost half of single adults
affected by access to work and income, education, housing, acknowledges and
over 65 years.
health and community services. A recent Australian Council actively promotes th
• In South Australia in e
of Social Services report focussed on three yardsticks to right of all people
2008, when faced with
compare the living standards and well being of low income to adequate income
a shortage of money,
households: deprivation of essential items (such as a decent to achieve the basic
40.5% of welfare
and secure home and access to dental treatment), income essentials of life
recipients went without including nutritious fo
poverty, and budget standards. These three dimensions od;
food when hungry and accommodation and
provide a more comprehensive picture of poverty in Australia
49.4% had to seek help access to services wh
than only looking at income. ich
from a welfare agency. are appropriate to th
eir
Deprivation needs and circumstan
Budget standards ces.
Deprivation, or lacking the ‘essentials of life’ such as a decent To uphold this right,
A third yardstick to measure
and secure home and access to dental treatment, is the Anglicare works to
hardship is Budget Standards
first yardstick. One study showed a huge number of people prevent poverty thro
— these are household ugh
without access to the 26 items identified as basic essentials. economic participation
budgets developed by and support people
‘Multiple deprivation’ — where people cannot afford at least
experts to measure what to maintain or secure
three of the 26 essential items — affects one in five South
is required to meet basic appropriate resource
Australians. s,
needs and restricted to including income.
Income poverty essential items. People on
A second yardstick to measure hardship is income poverty, or Parenting Payment (mainly
having an income that falls below an acknowledged poverty sole parents), Newstart Allowance (unemployed people), and
line set at minimum income levels considered necessary to Disability Support Pension stood out as being well over twice
achieve a decent standard of living. as likely as the general community to go without most of
• Social security payments remain well below typical these items.
community incomes.
• In July 2009, a sole parent with two school age children Factors affecting poverty
on Parenting Payment receives $585.06 per week • If you live in the outlying suburbs to the north and
(including Family Tax Benefit A &B). south of metropolitan Adelaide or in some regional areas
• The average weekly (ordinary time) earnings for a full of South Australia, you are more likely to experience
time worker in South Australia of $1127.10. poverty and disadvantage.
• Just over 28% of households in South Australia have • An increasing number of women are dependent on
their principal source of income from government government benefits.
pensions and allowances compared to a national average • Education, housing and health care (including dentistry)
of 23.2%. costs are increasing well beyond the rate of increase in
• From 1993–94 to 2005–06 the number of South household incomes.
Australians living in poverty rose from 6.7% to 12.3%. • The global financial crisis has resulted in a spike in the
This is based on number of people living on less than unemployment rate for South Australia from 4.6%
50% of median disposable income, making South in August 2008 to 5.8% in August 2009 (equal to the
Australia one of the poorest states in the nation. Median national rate).
income is the level of income which divides a group into • One in seven children grows up in a household with no
two equal parts, one half above the median and the employed adult.
other half below the median. • Long term unemployment remains a significant issue for
• Particular groups are at much higher risk of being in South Australia, with men in South Australia remaining
unemployed on average 14 weeks The emerging poor Jenny
longer than the national average. Here behind the comfortable facades came to Anglicare at the
Elizabeth
• South Australians are strongly of beautiful Adelaide, there are families
es Mission. She had six ch
ildren and was
dependent on informal child care sleeping in cars; there are children living in a tent in someo
ne’s backyard.
as the cost of child care is beyond going hungry each night; and there She had arrived in Adela
ide several
the reach for many low–medium are people silently crying out for help. months previously, havin
g escaped
income households. Those with In the current global financial crisis domestic violence in he
r own state.
special needs, such as care for Anglicare is seeing an increase in the She had no clothes, no
furniture, no
children with autism, remain a number of people in need of assistance ce household items: and as
the weather
problem for many parents. — such as those families where one or r was getting colder she
had worn out
more members have lost their job or her welcome with the
family who
Stimulus payments had taken her in. She wa
experienced reduced working hours. s advised
Contrary to the perception of some in The impact of the global financial she was not considered
homeless and
the community that the government’s crisis on jobs and on those relying on in urgent need by publi
c housing as
stimulus payments were ‘free’ money savings and superannuation income is she had a tent and a ba
ckyard to live
and would not make any difference, resulting in a new group of people at in. Anglicare helped Jen
ny to gain
through Anglicare SA’s financial literacy risk of poverty — the emerging poor. private rental, provided
assistance to
services, many clients advised that Past experience of recessions shows obtain a bond and two
weeks rent
the stimulus payment was quite life that if these people are not helped from Housing SA and a
package of
changing. Many clients on low income now and the battle is lost for these furniture and househo
ld items from
remain in poverty as they never have new emerging poor, the social and West Works. She boug
ht a fridge and
the opportunity to improve their assets. emotional toll will be great and long- washing machine with a No Interest
For many clients the payment was used lasting. Loan. Jenny paid back
the loan at
to pay off credit cards; fix or service an affordable $20 per
fortnight. The
their car, bought new whitegoods or family were also suppo
rted with
brought rent or bills up to date. financial counselling an
d set up direct
debit payment for the
Anglicare and advocacy to avoid future hassles.
rent and utilities
Jenny no
Anglicare SA speaks out on issues affecting people experiencing poverty and longer has contact with
Anglicare as
hardship through participation in a number of organisations and advocacy she has been able to ov
ercome most
groups of campaigns, including: of her initial problems
— and she is
• South Australian Council of Social Services (SACOSS) www.sacoss.org.au working
part time.
• Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) www.acoss.org.au
• Anti-poverty week www.antipovertyweek.org.au
How can you help?
• Through donations: monetary, food, clothing, household items.
• Volunteering to help Anglicare.
• Using the services of Anglicare’s economic participation programs.
• If you are interested in becoming involved in Anglicare SA’s advocacy work, email advocacy@anglicare-sa.org.au.
Sources
‘Working poor in Australia An analysis of poverty among households in which a member is employed’. Payne, Alicia. Family Matters, 2009,
Issue 81, p15-24
Davidson, P. ‘Who is missing out? Hardship among low income Australians’, Australian Council of Social Service, 2008.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1345.4 - SA Stats, Sep 2008, INCOMES
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1345.4 - SA Stats, Sep 2008, Feature Article: ‘Adelaide's Advantaged and Disadvantaged Suburbs’
Australian Bureau of Statistics, August 2009, 6523.0 Household income and income distribution 2007-08
Australian Bureau of Statistics, August 2009, 6202.0 - Labour Force, Australia, Aug 2009
Anglicare fact sheets are produced by our Public Affairs and Media Bureau,
and may be reproduced or quoted with permission.
For more information
Sophie Larsen, Media and Communications Officer
18 King William Rd, North Adelaide, SA, 5006
Tel 8305 9200 advocacy@anglicare-sa.org.au www.anglicare-sa.org.au
