Published by Beryl Rahman at 3 October 2022

Anti-Poverty Week_16-22 October 2022

Anti-Poverty Week supports the Australian community to have an increased understanding of poverty and to take action collectively to end it. This year Anti-Poverty Week will run from 16-22 October and the focus will be on halving of child poverty by 2030.

Approximately three quarters of a million Australian children live in poverty, 100,000 of these in Western Australia. If all Australian children are to thrive, then child poverty needs to be significantly reduced – if not eliminated from Australian society.

We are seeking your support to promote Anti-Poverty Week within your organisation and networks by HOSTING AN EVENT.

By working together to raise awareness and take action on the issue of child poverty, we can make sure all Australian children and families can meet their basic needs.

Check out some IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES for ways to get involved. Don’t forget to TELL US ABOUT YOUR ACTIVITY so we can add this to our calendar of events.

If you would like more information about Anti-Poverty Week, visit the APW WEBSITE.

Adj. Prof. Tony Pietropiccolo AM Kate O’Hara

Co-chair, Anti-Poverty Week 2022 Co-chair, Anti-Poverty Week 2022

Director, Centrecare Inc Chief Executive Officer, Foodbank WA

Founder, Valuing Children Initiative

The WA Committee for Anti-Poverty Week 2022 is made up of the following organisations:

Anglicare WA; Centrecare Inc and Valuing Children Initiative; Commissioner for Children and Young People; Communicare; Foodbank WA; Good Sammy; Mission Australia; People Kind Group; Salvation Army; St Vincent de Paul; Uniting WA; WACOSS; Wungening

Anti-Poverty Week will celebrate our 20th anniversary and be held from the 16th to the 22nd of October 2022. In 2021 we called on governments to take action on 2 key things to unlock poverty for individuals, families, and children: raise income support above the poverty line and invest in social housing. We supported the Raise the Rate for Good and Everybody’s Home campaigns. See our 2021 page for more.

LEARN MORE

Sign our Pledge to Halve Child Poverty by 2030

In our 20^th year of acting on poverty, Anti-Poverty Week calls on all Parliamentarians to commit to halve child poverty by 2030 by passing legislation with measurable targets and actions to achieve this goal. We invite all Australians to join in and SIGN THE PLEDGE TO HALVE CHILD POVERTY BY 2030.

Download the Pledge and print, sign it with a thick texter, take a photo and post to social media with #EndChildPoverty #AntiPovertyWeek #APW22 (and encourage your CEO/ED to do so too).
Action to reduce child poverty includes: raising all income support payments to at least the level of the age pension, increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance by at least 50%, building more social housing, restoring single parents to the Single Parent Payment until their youngest child turns 16, reviewing Family Payments and Child Support.

FAST FACTS

Our Fast Facts series provides a snapshot into the realities of poverty in Australia and around the world that aim to help you educate and inform your community.

You can download and print these resources:

Women Violence and Poverty

Poverty in Australia

Child and Family Poverty

Poverty and Housing

Global Poverty

Australians Care about Poverty

Poverty & Work

Poverty & Disability

Poverty & Disability (Word Document)

Poverty in Rural & Regional Australia

According to the report, released this week, nearly 11.8 percent of the population are living on less than half of Australia’s median income.

Monique Earsman, executive director, Catholic Social Services Australia, said that as shocking as the report is, the findings for women are even worse.

“The report reveals a clear gender gap in poverty in Australia, with young women and women approaching retirement much worse off,” Ms Earsman said.

“Women are three times more likely to fall into poverty following separation or divorce, and twice as likely to descend into poverty following the death of a partner,” she said.

According to the report, one in five people in poverty in Australia are in low-paid employment. One in eight agriculture workers and 10 percent of workers in the accommodation and food services sector have earnings that come in below the poverty line.

“High rents play a significant part in the impact the overall poverty levels across Australia,” Ms Earsman said.

“High rents have increased poverty levels among renters, with the poorest families in Australia scraping by on less than $150 per week after housing costs.

Other key findings in the report include:

Over a quarter of single parents are in poverty, with one in ten experiencing severe poverty
Single people in severe poverty have to live on less than $150 per week after housing costs are paid
575,000 people have been in poverty for at least five of the last ten years

FULL STORY

Three million Australians, including nearly 750,000 children, living in poverty (CSSA)

Centrecare Director Adj. Prof. Tony Pietropiccolo AM was a co-founder of the the Valuing Children Initiative which was established in January 2016. Valuing Children Initiative promotes the understanding that child wellbeing is essential to building a stronger society and is the shared responsibility of the whole community.

The Valuing Children Initiative’s aim is to inspire.

A society that is built on valuing children is a society that benefits all. Through research, education, and advocacy, the Valuing Children Initiative promotes the understanding that child wellbeing is essential to building a stronger society and is the shared responsibility of the whole community.

This awareness drives a cultural change where it becomes automatic to prioritise children’s needs, across all facets of society, to create an environment in which our future generation can thrive and reach their potential.

Visit their website.

Children’s books created by VCI now available for purchase. Click here for more information.

Click here to Read More…

We aim to inspire

All children are valuable, and every childhood is precious.

Join us in creating a society in which all Australian children have the supports and opportunities they need to flourish.

OUR OBJECTIVES

To highlight and celebrate the contributions that children make to society
To ensure children are treated with dignity and respect
To ensure children have a voice in decision making
To raise awareness about issues impacting children
To build understanding that prioritising children’s wellbeing has a lasting, positive social impact
To build understanding that the wellbeing of children is everybody’s responsibility
To inspire adults to advocate for and with children

Click here to Read More…

Every Child is Valuable – new campaign

The Valuing Children Initiative is campaigning for solutions to stop hundreds of thousands of Australian children from falling through the cracks. Adjunct Professor, Tony Pietropiccolo AM, founder of the Valuing Children Initiative said:

“Government policies directly affect children and young people and it is essential that their voices and needs are represented at all levels of government.”

The initiative invites people to join them in calling for:
•   Greater public awareness of children’s needs, wellbeing and contributions
•   A Minister for Children’s Interests in every state, territory and federally
•   A Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy and Budget – nationally and in every state and territory
•   A standardised, mandatory Child Impact Assessment tool implemented in every state, territory and nationally.

Sign the petition
Email your local MP