Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that Australia is a prosperous nation with a high standard of living and low levels of poverty by international standards;

(2) recognises that despite our national prosperity, poverty remains an issue for some Australians;

(3) notes that 11 to 17 October is Anti-Poverty Week, a week where all Australians are encouraged to organise or take part in activities to highlight and overcome poverty in Australia and overseas;

(4) understands that the main aims of Anti-Poverty Week are to:

(a) strengthen public understanding of the causes and consequences of poverty and hardship; and

(b) encourage research, discussion and action to address these problems, including action by individuals, communities, organisations and governments; and

(5) commends the organisers and sponsors of Anti-Poverty Week for their ongoing efforts to raise awareness and take action to address poverty.

Every country on earth is on a journey to realise economic opportunity for all of its citizens. Through hard work and good policy, Australia is further on that journey than many other nations. But it does not mean that we do not face our own challenges. Australia's prosperity has delivered community wellbeing and social mobility. Yet, the curse of poverty remains real, even here today. Australians possess a deep sense of justice that recognises that people, through circumstances out of their own control, can sometimes fall through the cracks. To be lacking in the resources needed to meet basic needs prevents individuals from reaching their full potential.

A brief snapshot of poverty in Australia reveals the raw nature of the challenge that is before us. ABS data shows that in 2011-2012 11.8 per cent of Australians had a household after-tax income less than half of the median income of all households in Australia. In my own electorate, the seat of Goldstein, the city of Bayside includes an estimated 7,251 people living below this line. That figure includes 1,151 children aged between zero and 14. While poverty is a multidimensional issue and focusing on a single metric like income is problematic, this at least puts into perspective the proportion of society that is at risk of facing some form of hardship. Two point six million Australians, by this income-based measure, experience, or at risk of experiencing, some poverty. This week is about recognising those individuals.

Attention should be drawn to two key underlying causes of poverty—homelessness and unemployment. In Victoria, over 22,000 people were recorded as homeless on Census night in 2011. Almost half of those people were under the age of 25. A lack of affordable housing impacts on an individual's ability to find work and education and training. Over the past two decades house prices have risen steeply while incomes have only grown moderately. The undersupply of affordable housing is a key concern that needs to be addressed in order to ensure future generations are given a fair chance to secure their living arrangements. The best way to avoid risk of poverty, though, is to gain employment. Families with an individual who was employed full-time had only a three per cent poverty rate in 2011-12. This is where economic growth and job creation can have a serious impact on people's lives. Now, more than ever, we must remain firm against the growing anti-globalisation sentiment because protectionism will do little more than entrench poverty in Australia and around the world. The quality and quantity of jobs of the future rely on sustaining and enhancing economic openness and utilising technology.

The report card on youth unemployment is mixed. While there are stubbornly high classes of joblessness across the country, the overall rate is improving. But, at 12.2 per cent, there is a long way to go. Our national youth unemployment figures tell us we have more to do to ensure our young Australians are able to get ahead.

Anti-Poverty Week is also about acknowledging the researchers, community organisations, philanthropic ventures and charities which fight on the frontline for those who are disadvantaged. In particular, I note the hard work of Bentleigh Bayside Community Health, chaired by Marguerite Abbott and led on a daily basis by its CEO, Amanda Murphy. Bentleigh Bayside Community Health runs a program of innovative health services for homeless youth and has an outreach health worker for homeless young people in the cities of Bayside, Kingston, and Glen Eira. I also want to acknowledge the Grace Heart Community Church, located in Highett, as another exemplar of working with disadvantaged people. The church has been led by the Reverend Bruce Corben and works with local people to find stability and opportunity in their life. Institutions like these deliver accessible evidence-informed and innovative services by listening and responding to people in an inclusive and respectful way. We can do our best to help them take control of their lives.

On the world stage, we must also continue to play a role in tackling some of the human development challenges that face us in our region. The Turnbull coalition team is committed to delivering an affordable and effective aid program that reduces poverty and hardship around the world but, importantly, it is done by promoting sustainable economic growth. In 2016-17 the Turnbull coalition team will deliver around $3.8 billion in development assistance, making Australia the 12th-largest donor in the OECD.

Our commitment to reducing poverty and hardship is advanced by promoting human development to overcome some of the immediate challenges faced by people in the Asia-Pacific region, and by promoting sustainable economic development to promote economic opportunities for those who seek it to be able to get ahead. That is the Liberal way, and that is why we are proud to stand up and to fight poverty in Anti-Poverty Week. (Time expired)

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