I know others have made the same point about other movements, and more eloquently, but wanted to say: If you're outraged by the treatment of poor people in this country, if you've been following the anti-poverty movement, but feel like you can't be involved, because you're not, yourself, poor, let me be clear: You absolutely … Continue reading We Need You
Get A Job, They Say
Get a job, they say. But what sort of job? A job with no security? A job where you don't know what hours you'll have in a week, or a month, or six? A job that keeps you poor? A job that wrecks your sleep patterns over and over again? A job where you get … Continue reading Get A Job, They Say
Scrapping “Mutual Obligation” Requirements Won’t End The World
Scrapping so-called “Mutual Obligation” requirements (which are as "mutual" as being hit over the head with a bat), for job-seekers, won’t end the world. But my God, how much easier, more predictable, life would be for job-seekers, knowing they do not have to stress about having their payment — their very-inadequate income, their means of … Continue reading Scrapping “Mutual Obligation” Requirements Won’t End The World
If You Can’t Afford It…
If you can’t afford to pay a living wage, you don’t deserve to be in business. If you’re only able to fill a job by having people live in grinding poverty, you don’t deserve to have that job filled. If you can’t afford to provide a home that meets basic standards for health and well-being, … Continue reading If You Can’t Afford It…
20 Reasons To Raise JobSeeker
1. JobSeeker is only $49 a day. 2. Huge numbers of people on JobSeeker are skipping meals. 3. Huge numbers of people on JobSeeker are skipping medicines. 4. Half of people JobSeeker have less than $7 a day, after paying their rent. 5. It is $39 a day less than the Henderson poverty-line. 6. It … Continue reading 20 Reasons To Raise JobSeeker
Jane’s Speech To Parliamentary Forum On Renting
The following speech was given by Jane* to a Parliamentary Forum on Renting in Adelaide, on October 15, 2022."I have been on Centrelink benefits for eight years after losing my full-time job, experiencing a bad fall and then an assault that meant two years in hospital appointments unable to use my left arm or leg.My … Continue reading Jane’s Speech To Parliamentary Forum On Renting
What Is The Point Of “Mutual Obligation”?
"Mutual Obligations, what do they actually achieve? If the measure of success is getting a job, they haven't helped me achieve this. I need my Income Support payment, so do whatever is required, otherwise I'll be unable to pay my bills.Mutual implies input from both parties. My DES Provider is supposed to help me find … Continue reading What Is The Point Of “Mutual Obligation”?
My Uncensored Experience Of The DES System
"So, here is my uncensored experience of the DES (Disability Employment Services) system. I am in this stream, because I have chronic, incurable pain in my hip, due to having developed Perthes disease as a child. Perthes disease is rare, and the average person in the street has never heard of it. Neither has Centrelink, … Continue reading My Uncensored Experience Of The DES System
Every Week Should Be Anti-Poverty Week
It’s the start of 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 … Continue reading Every Week Should Be Anti-Poverty Week
Release Of ‘Broke, Cold, Stressed’ Renters Report (September 27, 2022)
Today, Anti-Poverty Network SA released ‘Broke, Cold, Stressed’, our report outlining the results of our survey of 288 low-income renters, which took place over the winter of 2022. The results are yet another reminder that our rental market is causing enormous harm to people's lives, especially the lives of people in poverty. High rents. Big … Continue reading Release Of ‘Broke, Cold, Stressed’ Renters Report (September 27, 2022)
Anti-Poverty Network SA 