The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council has marked Anti-Poverty Week 2015 with the launch of the ‘Sick with Worry…’ report, containing stories from the front-line of inequality and 14 recommendations for urgent action by the Federal Government to help enable people to achieve their dreams of a life without poverty.
The report was launched by Vinnies CEO Dr John Falzon in conjunction with the Social Determinants of Health Alliance Anti-Poverty Week Oration in Canberra.
The report comprises more than 20 stories of people across Australia who have been or are being assisted by the St Vincent de Paul Society. The stories look at the stigma faced by those living in poverty, the inherent insecurity that homelessness and housing stress entails and the disproportionate impact of poverty on women as key themes.
Dr Falzon said the task at hand is to transform these personal stories of injustice into powerful, collective struggle for a society in which people are not blamed because economic structures lock them out.
“Or, in some cases, lock them up; one in which people are not told that they would not be poor if only they chose to be a little more productive,” Dr Falzon said.
“Even while being excluded by a range of structural causes which push them to the edge, what people want most is to participate in and contribute to society.”
Key recommendations from the report include:
A call on the Federal Government to commit to a National Jobs Plan alongside comprehensive plans for housing and health.
The Federal Government must take the lead on tackling homelessness, including increased investment and minimum four-year funding commitments to the National Partnership on Homelessness.
Housing taxation must be reformed and minimum wage and penalty rates be maintained and strengthened.
For all government services to be properly funded, including those for survivors of domestic violence so they can stay in their homes, free community GPs, Indigenous and rural health, primary and secondary education and all other social services.
To make income support adequate, and non-stigmatising, by increasing Newstart by at least $50 per week immediately and indexing all payments to wages instead of CPI, scrapping Compulsory Income Management, increasing rent assistance and putting parents on Parenting Payment.
“What shone through in our research were three remarkable opportunities for change,” Dr Falzon said.
“First, supportive, rights-based services can and do help many people out of poverty.
“Secondly, people’s overwhelming love for their children presents a wonderful lens through which to see change happen.
“And, finally what almost everyone desires above all else is to be able to participate but, to do this, the Government needs to create plans for housing, health and job creation and not walk away from its responsibility to provide people with a place to live, a place to work, a place to learn and a place to heal,” Dr Falzon said.