Put it down to him being a one-note man, too old, past-it or convinced of his own rhetoric, but during his current electioneering PM Howard almost daily repeats the mantra of the financial health of Australians. Everyone is better off, etc. etc. and has been during his tenure in office.
Hold it! No less than 10% of the population isn't all that fortunate at all - as this op-ed piece "Our forgotten poor" in The Age written by Cath Smith, chief executive officer of the Victorian Council of Social Service. Anne Turley is chief executive officer of Melbourne Citymission, clearly points out and highlights:
"It's said that a "rising tide lifts all boats" — that the best policy to reduce poverty is to promote economic growth. If that's the case, where have we gone wrong?
Australia has recorded 15 years of almost unbroken economic growth. In fact, from 2001 to 2006, growth averaged 3 per cent a year — well above the average rate of economic growth in the OECD. Yet new figures released recently by the Australian Council of Social Service reveal that a staggering 11 per cent of Australians live below the poverty line set by the OECD. This equates to about 2.2 million Australians (including 412,000 children).
Disturbingly, the data shows that over time the divide between the "haves" and "have nots" has become a gulf. In 2003-04, there were 9.8 per cent of Australians living below the poverty line. Ironically, for a country that prides itself on a "fair go", our nation is becoming more unequal as each year passes.
Sadly, this latest data comes as no surprise to the Victorian Council of Social Service, Melbourne Citymission or other community service organisations across the country. Research published this year as part of the Australia Fair campaign found one in 10 Australians struggle to make ends meet.
Across Australia, demand for housing services has become particularly acute. While much of the debate in this election has been about access to greenfield sites on the fringes of Australia's capital cities, simply releasing more land won't address the critical issue of homelessness — the rate of which has almost doubled across Australia over the past 20 years.
Nor will releasing more land increase the availability of beds in refuges and transitional housing.
In one recent two-week period, Melbourne Citymission had 360 young people seeking crisis accommodation, many of whom were escaping family violence or sexual abuse. Only 30 beds were available across Victoria. This is not unique to Victoria. Every day, community agencies across each state and territory come up against similar shortages."
Hold it! No less than 10% of the population isn't all that fortunate at all - as this op-ed piece "Our forgotten poor" in The Age written by Cath Smith, chief executive officer of the Victorian Council of Social Service. Anne Turley is chief executive officer of Melbourne Citymission, clearly points out and highlights:
"It's said that a "rising tide lifts all boats" — that the best policy to reduce poverty is to promote economic growth. If that's the case, where have we gone wrong?
Australia has recorded 15 years of almost unbroken economic growth. In fact, from 2001 to 2006, growth averaged 3 per cent a year — well above the average rate of economic growth in the OECD. Yet new figures released recently by the Australian Council of Social Service reveal that a staggering 11 per cent of Australians live below the poverty line set by the OECD. This equates to about 2.2 million Australians (including 412,000 children).
Disturbingly, the data shows that over time the divide between the "haves" and "have nots" has become a gulf. In 2003-04, there were 9.8 per cent of Australians living below the poverty line. Ironically, for a country that prides itself on a "fair go", our nation is becoming more unequal as each year passes.
Sadly, this latest data comes as no surprise to the Victorian Council of Social Service, Melbourne Citymission or other community service organisations across the country. Research published this year as part of the Australia Fair campaign found one in 10 Australians struggle to make ends meet.
Across Australia, demand for housing services has become particularly acute. While much of the debate in this election has been about access to greenfield sites on the fringes of Australia's capital cities, simply releasing more land won't address the critical issue of homelessness — the rate of which has almost doubled across Australia over the past 20 years.
Nor will releasing more land increase the availability of beds in refuges and transitional housing.
In one recent two-week period, Melbourne Citymission had 360 young people seeking crisis accommodation, many of whom were escaping family violence or sexual abuse. Only 30 beds were available across Victoria. This is not unique to Victoria. Every day, community agencies across each state and territory come up against similar shortages."
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