Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

This week is Anti-Poverty Week—and I’ll just let the other side know that it does have something to do with the economy. Three million, or over one in eight, Australians live below the poverty line. More than one in six Australian children, or three-quarters of a million, live in poverty—a devastating and damning statistic. The Anglicare Jobs Availability Snapshot 2019 demonstrated that there aren't enough jobs for the number of jobseekers; employers receive on average 19 applications per vacancy advertised; and those that do have a job aren't receiving enough hours, with over 1.1 million Australians underemployed.

Poverty has real-world consequences for real people—people who we represent. The government appears to have its head buried in the sand. It stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that we have a serious problem facing this country, and it's widespread poverty—and it's getting worse. It is especially obvious in rural and remote Australia. I have seen these things up close. I don't see a plan from those opposite to create jobs or alleviate poverty. There is no economic strategy.

Children should all have a good start in life, but, as I said, there are three-quarters of a million children in Australia who don't. These children grow up in shocking circumstances. They grow up deprived of a fair start in life. They grow up living in poverty. Children are the biggest group within the poverty sector. It is almost inconceivable for Australians to understand this, but it is true: children make up the biggest cohort in the poverty sector. For children, living in poverty can mean going to bed on an empty stomach. It can mean not having a safe and secure home to live and sleep in. It can mean going to school with not only the pain of hunger but also the shame among their peers that they are missing out—or they don't go to school at all. They don't get to go on school excursions or participate in team sports or spend time with friends, leaving them lonely and isolated. They are missing out on healthy food, physical activity and interacting with people their own age, which are all critical to a child's development—the first five years of a child's life being the most important.

Children living in poverty can experience severe physical and health complications. Living in poverty can create emotional scars that last a lifetime. This will impact on their concentration in the classroom, their homework and, ultimately, completing their education. They are experiencing anxieties that they should not have to deal with and which will remain with them for a lifetime. Children in poverty are not only anxious for themselves; they worry for their families, they worry for their mums and dads and they worry for their brothers and sisters.

For families living in poverty, parents are struggling to get to the end of their pay cheque, if they even have a pay cheque. Parents are skipping one and two meals each week. Sometimes they are going a whole day without food. They are delaying buying medicine or going to the dentist. They are driving their children to school without a licence or a registered car because they cannot afford to pay for these things. They are forgoing new shoes, a haircut or clothes for a job interview. They do their best to shield their children from these realities, with mums assuring their kids, 'Don't worry; I ate while I was cooking,' or sitting on the back step trying to work out what bill to pay next and how on earth they are going to do it. No parent should ever have to do this. It is not always possible to shield children from these realities, but parents try.

The impact of poverty, especially on young children, can have a profound and lasting impact on their outlook on life as well as their quality-of-life outcomes. We know that poverty and the cycle of poverty can transcend generations. Poverty snuffs out potential. Poverty means you can't imagine a future. Just think about that: not being able to imagine a future.

When our citizens are deprived of the opportunity to reach their full potential, our workforce is deprived, our economy is deprived and we as a country are diminished. When our children are deprived, our country's future is diminished. So, whether you live above or below the poverty line, poverty and its impacts affect us all. When a person cannot afford clothes for a job interview or transport costs to get there, they cannot re-enter the workforce and contribute to the economy. When they have to choose between a bus fare to get to a job interview and medication from the chemist, they cannot properly participate in society. When people cannot afford the basics and essentials, our local businesses have less to spend on wages and jobs, and, when businesses have less to spend on wages and jobs, people have less to spend on local businesses. Yes, Minister, it does affect the economy.

All Australians feel the impact or effects of poverty in one form or another. They feel it in their stagnant wages. They feel it in their lack of job security. Poverty is a collective challenge, and addressing poverty is a collective responsibility. It requires leadership, something this government seems to lack and seems to shirk when it comes to the economy. We have not heard one word from any of them about Anti-Poverty Week this week. It is shameful.

When Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke committed our country to eliminating child poverty, we may not have eliminated it completely—I see the snigger from the minister, but listen to the next fact—but let us never forget the huge strides we made as a country. We reduced child poverty by 30 per cent. The Hawke Labor government demonstrated to us the power and capacity of government to lead and enact real change so long as it is prepared to demonstrate real leadership—nothing like what we're seeing now. It was a different time with a different government under a different leadership.

This government refuses to even acknowledge the critical socio-economic challenges threatening the Australian way of life, let alone lift a finger to do something about it. Meanwhile, Australia waits, waits and waits. The government has got plenty of old, stale ideas. It's got nothing more than distractions and wedges. It is so obsessed with devising new and humiliating ways to harass and prod vulnerable Australians with urine testing and cashless cards, but it does nothing about alleviating poverty. It just doesn't have any ideas to create jobs or get the economy moving. Is this what Australians can expect over the next three years? Australians simply want this government to do something.

Over the past five years, under the Liberals and Nationals, the proportion of Australians over 55 relying on Newstart has surged to a staggering 45 per cent. We know that Australians over the age of 55 have particular difficulty re-entering the workforce. They face structural barriers, and often they need a bit more time to retrain and reskill so they can get back into the workforce. They also face significant workplace age discrimination. These are people who have worked hard and contributed all their lives but have been made redundant. These are people who have spent years as carers but have seen changes in personal circumstances such as loved ones being moved into a home. They too will require a bit more time to retrain and prepare themselves to re-enter the workforce.

The government's refusal to increase Newstart seems to be detached from reality. Newstart is the way to lift children out of poverty. With over 1.1 million Australians underemployed, we know many of those who have a job still have to depend on Newstart. Australians are doing it tough, Minister. Many have not seen a pay rise in a very long time. Many only see the cost of living creeping over their pay cheque, with less and less left over for them or their children.

Why isn't there a plan to alleviate poverty? Why isn't there a plan to address disadvantage? As I said at the beginning of my matter of public importance, three-quarters of a million children face uncertain futures. It's untenable, and it's the responsibility of government to take it seriously and give it the credence that it needs. When our children are deprived, the future of our country is diminished. It's cruel. It's demeaning. It's unacceptable. Children should not have to carry this burden, and the government needs to do more about getting the economy moving, having a plan to address jobs and, most importantly, addressing the issue of poverty, particularly when it comes to children.

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