[Greens-Media] Media Release - Government must abandon budget cuts as 1 in 7 Australians face poverty

[Redman, Chris (Sen R. Siewert)]

Media Release 

12 October 2014
 
Government must abandon budget cuts as 1 in 7 Australians face poverty 

The Australian Greens have called on the Federal Government to abandon their cruel and reckless budget cuts to income support and social security, with new figures showing 2.5 million Australians, that is one in seven people, including one in six children, are living in poverty.

"ACOSS's Poverty in Australia Report 2014 shows that people across the community are struggling, and that people with disability, single parents and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are significantly more likely to be living in poverty than the rest of the population, which is concerning, as people in these groups face the brunt of some of the Government's toughest budget cuts," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on family and community services said today.

"I have absolutely no doubt that the measures contained in the Federal Budget will exacerbate the pressures faced by millions of Australians and increase poverty even further. Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey have no understanding of what life in poverty is life. It is cruel and reckless to proceed with budget cuts they know will cause more poverty.

"The Government's social support cuts and GP co-payment will make it harder for people to become job-ready and will make it more likely that children, families, jobseekers and older Australians are exposed to disadvantage throughout their lives, while cut of over half a billion dollars in funding from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs will make it harder to close the gap.

"I am particularly concerned about the ongoing impact of poverty on low income families, single parents and children. ACOSS's report covers data up until July 2012, and we know that since then, 80,000 single parents have been dumped onto Newstart.

"Given that ACOSS have found that 33% of sole parent families and 55% of people on Newstart live in poverty, it is clear that the impact of this policy, backed by both the Coalition and the ALP, has been severe, and that the number of families and children in poverty will have increased in recent years.

"Budget documents show that the Government's budget unfairly targets the poorest people in our community, and cuts to pension indexation, family payments and the Pensioner Education Supplement will make things even tougher for families and expose children to inter-generational disadvantage.

"The only responsible thing for the Government to do during Anti-Poverty Week is abandon their cruel budget cuts and start working to genuinely address the underlying causes of poverty in Australia.

"The Greens will continue to oppose the Government's tough budget measures, and I call on the ALP and cross bench to join us in protecting vulnerable Australians," Senator Siewert concluded.