Budget fails to address rising child poverty in Australia - Anglicare Australia

The 2003 Federal Budget is a missed opportunity to address rising child poverty in Australia according to Anglicare Australia.

“Over the past two years the number of children living in jobless households has increased from 680,000 in June 2000 to around 850,000 in 2002 according to a recent Family and Community Services publication” explained Russell Rollason, Executive Officer of Anglicare Australia.  “Not only do these children face a significant risk of living in poverty but also risk handing on disadvantage to their children”, he said.

“For these 435,000 jobless families, tax cuts will have no benefit and the increased costs of doctors visits and the failure to increase investment in job creation will leave these people worse off and with little hope for a better tomorrow”, according to Anglicare Australia.

The increased funding for employment and child care services for people with disabilities and the easing of social security penalties are welcome initiatives.

“But the welcome initiatives are against a background of increasing concern about the entrenchment of inequality in Australia society.  This concern in highlighted in the budget’s economic forecast which predicts a further fall in economic growth while unemployment remains locked in at the unacceptably high level of six per cent.  After a decade of the economy “going gangbusters”, this level on unemployment is far too high”, commented Anglicare Australia Chair, Bishop Philip Huggins.

“The Treasurer has missed an opportunity to invest the surplus in bridging the widening gap between the well off and the poor in Australia society, “ said Bishop Huggins.  “We hope future budgets will focus on new initiatives to break the cycle on child poverty and intergenerational disadvantage in Australia,” said Bishop Huggins.

Over coming months, the national network of Anglicare will visit Federal parliamentarians to convince then that the Government must set targets to reduce child poverty and disadvantage in future Federal budgets.

CONTACT: 
Bishop Philip Huggins  
Mobile   0418 799 515

Russell Rollason  
Mobile   0418 149 203