More than 400 participants of the 2013 ACOSS National Conference have today passed a resolution calling on the federal parliament of Australia to urgently legislate for a $50 increase in the single rate of Newstart and other low paying allowances.
The resolution reads:
‘Participants of the 2013 ACOSS National Conference unanimously call on the federal parliament of Australia to urgently legislate for a $50 increase in the single rate of Newstart and other low paying allowances.
Allowance payments also need to be indexed to wages as opposed the CPI.
This must be included in this May Budget before the federal election if we are to prevent worsening levels of poverty in our country.
Already one in eight people are living in poverty in Australia, including one in six children.
This is an indictment on our nation and it’s in our national interest to take immediate steps to redress this.’
Day 2 of the ACOSS National Conference 2013 has just begun in Adelaide (9.30am Tuesday March 26,2013).
Live on A-PAC Channel 648, participate on Twitter #ACOSS2013
Keynote Address – Julia Slay, Senior Researcher and Coordinator of Social Policy, New Economic Foundation, United Kingdom
Community engagement – what can we learn from the UK?
• The Hon. Kevin Andrews MP – Shadow Minister for Housing, Families and Human Services
• Miriam Lyons – Executive Director, Centre for Policy Development
• Julia Slay – Senior Research Officer, New Economic Foundation, UK
Elephant in the room: Australia’s affordable housing crisis
• The Hon. Mark Butler – Minister for Housing and Homelessness and Social Inclusion
• Senator Marise Payne – Opposition spokesperson on Housing and Homelessness
• Senator Scott Ludlam – Senator for Western Australia, The Australian Greens
Other conference sessions today include:
• Thongs, BBQs, Human Rights? What the National Children’s Commissioner really means for young people
• Women’s experiences of poverty
• Power to the people – making energy affordable in a fast changing market
• Income management: what do we know now?
• Extreme weather, climate change and the community sector
• Community based health care in a post-reform era
• Putting community at the heart of Election 2013
Media contact: Fernando de Freitas – 0419 626 155