Regular
reports on the growing Poverty, Unemployment, Debt and Inequality of
the neo-capitalist world
Australia:
“Women
are significantly more likely to experience poverty than men, with
14.7% of women compared with 13% of all men experiencing poverty in
2011-12.”
“Compared
with other age groups, children and older people face higher risks of
poverty (17.7% and 14.8% respectively), reflecting the higher costs
facing families with children and the fact that many older people
receiving the Age Pension do not have sufficient additional income to
place them above the poverty line.”
“Sole
parents are at a particularly high risk of poverty, with a third
(33%) of sole parents in poverty in 2012. As a consequence just over
a third (36.8%) of all children in poverty were in sole parent
households. This reflects the lower rates of employment among sole
parent households, especially those with very young children, and low
levels of social security payments for these families.”
“Poverty
is higher amongst adults born in countries where the main language is
not English (18.8%) than amongst those born overseas in an English
speaking country (11.4%), or in Australia (11.6%).”
“The
rate of poverty is higher amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people (19.3%,
compared with 12.4% of the total Australian population, based on
based on 2011 HILDA data).”
“People
with a disability face a significantly higher risk of poverty than
the average. In 2009 this was 27.4% compared with 12.8% for the total
population, and this does not take account of the additional costs
relating to disability (for housing, transport and medical services)
borne by many people with a disability.”
“The
people most likely to be living in poverty are those who are
unemployed (61.2%), or in a household that relies on social security
as its main source of income (40.1%) and particularly on the Newstart
Allowance (55.1%) or Youth Allowance (50.6%). This is largely
explained by the fact that many social security payments fall below
the poverty line, even with Rent Assistance and other supplementary
payments added to household income.”
“For
many social security payments, the maximum rate of payment (including
Rent Assistance and Family Tax Benefit where applicable) was less
than the poverty line, including the Newstart Allowance (which was
$97 per week below the poverty line for a single person, and $118 per
week for a couple with two children); Youth Allowance ($193 per week
below the poverty line); Parenting Payment Single ($20 per week); and
the Pension Payment ($26 per week for a single person and $36 below
the poverty line for a couple with two children).”
“The
indexation of social security payments such as the Newstart
Allowance, Youth Allowance and the Parenting Payment to CPI means
that the payment does not increase as community living standards
improve; and is likely to result in higher poverty rates over time
than would be the case if payments were indexed to wages, as they are
with the Age Pension.”
“Poverty
increased between 2010 and 2012 (from 13% to 13.9%); and over the
longer term from 2004 to 2012 (the best available data suggests an
increase from 11.8% to 12.8%).”
Full
Report:
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