One in three NT kids in poverty
SALLY SIEVERS AND NOELENE SWANSON
SUNDAY marks the start of AntiPoverty Week, a time to ask ourselves if we are willing to accept the staggering rates of poverty in our communities. Right now in Australia, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, more than three million people live in poverty.
Australia was shocked during Covid-19 by queues of people outside Centrelink needing assistance, highlighting how easy it can be to lose stable employment and slip into poverty.
With wages not growing at the same rate as the soaring costs of living, a severe shortage of affordable housing and no significant raise in social support payments, more and more Australian families and children are finding themselves trapped below the poverty line.
More than 17 per cent of Australian children live in poverty. In the Territory that rate is even higher, with more than 15,000 children and young people affected. It means almost one in three children in the NT is living in poverty, feeling the effects across every aspect of their lives and often into adulthood.
Families are finding themselves forced into impossible decisions. Children not telling their parents about after-school activities and excursions because they know they cannot afford them. Families choosing between new school uniforms and food on the table. Parents having to skip important medications or fixing their car, further restricting their work options. Examples such as these show that for a child, experiencing poverty is so much more than monetary need.
Research shows that children living in poverty eat fewer fruit and vegetables, and have poorer mental and physical health. They attend school less frequently and have difficulties learning at home.
Financial strains on their household mean children can be denied healthy relationships with their family and friends, and become more isolated as a result. Ultimately they are more likely to leave school early and have difficulty transitioning from education to work.
By the time they reach adulthood they are far more likely to self-harm, commit crime, or to suffer adult poverty than a child who grew up in a “never poor” household.
The good news is that none of this is inevitable. We know the solutions, and know how effective they can be. If Covid-19 served to highlight how easily people could fall into hardship, it also demonstrated how clearly public policy and intervention can empower communities and help them out of poverty with income supplements and employment supports.
It meant families had enough to cover the basics, such as healthy food, clothing and after-school activities for the kids. Importantly, it gave children and parents a break from the mental and physical stress that increases hardship. For some, it provided the means to escape violence that they had not had before.
These solutions are critical for the NT.
Every day 1128 children in the Territory do not have somewhere safe to sleep. Securing affordable homes in the form of more available housing and increased rent assistance must be a priority. Permanently increasing social security payments will help to shield families from falling into poverty when they cannot secure employment. Living on $40 a day (the basic rate of Youth
Allowance) while trying to pay rent and study is a denial of basic human rights and dignity for the members of our community most at need. A recent survey of young people on Youth Allowance found nine in 10 skip meals and one in three has withdrawn from studies because of a lack of funds.
We also need to set serious goals for full employment, with a map of how to get there. Flexible employment and training opportunities that are lasting, meaningful and appropriate for NT communities are needed in order to give Territorians the tools to permanently pull themselves above the poverty line.
The evidence is clear that by investing in children and families before they become entrenched in poverty, public costs are reduced in terms of healthcare, homelessness services, justice and unemployment. Put simply, we cannot afford not to.
So this Anti-Poverty Week show that you are not willing to accept poverty in our communities. Start the conversation with your friends, family, colleagues and politicians. Support community campaigns such as Raise the Rate and Everybody’s Home.
It is time to treat all children fairly, and ensure they have enough to cover the basics and a roof over their head.
You can learn more about poverty in Australia today by going to antipovertyweek.org.au