Nearly 10% of Australians in poverty: study
Posted: 30 August 2007 1244 hrs
SYDNEY: Nearly ten per cent of Australians are living in poverty
despite a booming economy, a major new study published Thursday
said, but its findings were disputed by Prime Minister John
Howard.
The report by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS)
found that Australia lagged behind most other Western countries,
and said authorities at federal and state level should do more to
spread economic prosperity.
But Howard, whose government could be replaced in a general
election later this year, said Australia's low unemployment rate
was evidence poverty was not rising.
"I have difficulty with their measurements of poverty. It is logic
that if there are fewer people out of work there must be less
poverty -- the greatest driver of poverty is people without jobs,"
he said.
The report compared Australia to other developed countries in ten
key areas such as education, health and housing.
Using an international standard, it said the proportion of
Australians who live in poverty rose from 7.6 per cent of the
population in 1994 to 9.9 per cent -- equivalent to nearly two
million people -- in 2004.
It noted that on a UN human poverty scale, Australia is ranked 14th
out of 18 for countries in the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD).
"There are too many areas where Australia is falling behind other
OECD nations," ACOSS president Lin Hatfield Dobbs said.
"Governments need to ensure the benefits of the economic prosperity
are shared with all Australians."
Howard, who has been in power for more than 11 years, acknowledged
there were still people struggling below the poverty line.
"I don't pretend for a moment that there isn't more that can be
done, but it's just altogether too glib for people to say 'oh well,
poverty keeps rising despite the prosperity of the country'," he
added.
ACOSS, established in 1956, is the main council of Australia's
community services and welfare sector. - AFP/ac
