Every Week Should Be Anti-Poverty Week

(Though for many of us, every week’s Anti-Poverty Week.)

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (a risk I’m willing to take), here’s my periodic reminder that:

1. There’s nothing inevitable or permanent about the existence of poverty.

2. It’s a deliberate choice by governments to let people live in poverty, to keep people impoverished.

3. COVID’s proof of this. The overnight, temporary doubling of JobSeeker and other Centrelink payments, lifted huge numbers of people out of poverty, did absolute wonders for their physical and mental health, allowing people to make life-changing, transformative decisions (like flee violent relationships), that simply weren’t possible before.

4. It’s ironic that this, from the Morrison government, was the most significant anti-poverty measure in decades.

5. That 90% of this extra money was ultimately withdrawn, during late 2020/early 2021, plunging huge numbers of job-seekers, sole-parents, students, and others back into financial hell, was an unforgivable act of bastardry.

6. Federal Labor (when in opposition) arguably could’ve been more outspoken and explicit about opposing this life-damaging cruelty.

7. Federal Labor (now in government) should make a raise to JobSeeker and other Centrelink payments an absolute priority, for next week’s Federal Budget.

8. The fact that a JobSeeker raise isn’t on the cards at this time, but that Labor’s sticking with Stage 3 Tax Cuts that will largely benefit high-income earners, is shameful. There’s no way of looking yourself in the mirror, if this is where you’re at.

9. A Prime Minister who isn’t urgently raising JobSeeker above the poverty-line, with all respect, should perhaps kindly refrain from waxing lyrical about their own low-income, public-housing background.

10. Poverty’s the health-destroyer. The longer you’re poor, the harder it is to look after your health. Health issues accumulate. Years of having to skip meals, avoid fresh food, because of a lack of money, takes its toll. Simply having to stress around-the-clock about money wears down your body.

11. Poverty’s a trap. Everything gets more expensive when you’re poor (think: crappy cars, poorer-value internet/phone plans, less-efficient heating/cooling). You fall more and more behind.

12. Every week should be Anti-Poverty Week.