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Factsheets
Employment & Income Support
ACOSS Poverty Report: It’s time to raise Newstart to tackle growing inequality in Australia
October 2011
To mark Anti-Poverty Week,, ACOSS has updated its Poverty Report bringing together all the latest publically available measurements of inequality and poverty in Australa. ACOSS is using the update to call on the Commonwealth Government to commit to increase income support allowances like Newstart as recommended by the Henry Review, in order to tackle the growing gap between the haves and have-nots in Australia. ACOSS CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie said, "The evidence is mounting of a growing divide with more people hitting hard times and falling into poverty.
"There is widespread consensus that the paltry payment levels for allowances such as Newstart, Parenting Payment Single, and Youth Allowance is one of the principle reasons for increasing hardship and poverty in our rich country. This was highlighted at the recent Tax Forum in Canberra where participants almost unanimously agreed that the Newstart Allowance of $35 a day is simply not enough to live on.
Indicators of inequality
April 2011
Indicators of Inequality provides Australian inequality statistics within five main areas: poverty, income support, cost of living, community services and health.
ACOSS proposals for reform of family payments
April 2010
The current family payments system is fairly well targeted to those most in need and relatively effective at addressing child poverty. The basic structure is well-designed to reduce child poverty without undermining work incentives. This is achieved by paying the same amount of Family Tax Benefit (Part A) to low income jobless and working families.
However, there are a number of problems which should be addressed through reform of the system to reduce child poverty, particularly for low income families with older children and sole parent families.