Australian Children’s Commissioners call for action to end child poverty

All children in Australia need adequate health, housing, food and education say the Australian Children’s Commissioners and Guardians in a joint statement released today for Anti-Poverty Week 2024.

With over 761,000 Australian Children in Poverty, the Commissioners and Guardians are calling for a national taskforce, strategy, legislation, income support and other measures to address child poverty in this country.

The statement says child poverty can be overcome, Australian governments have the power and resources to stop it and the persistence of child poverty in a modern and thriving nation such as Australia is indefensible.

Those who experience poverty as a child are:

• likely to be up to three years behind at school
• 3.3 times more likely to be poor as an adult
• 2.5 times more likely to live in social-housing
• 2.5 times more likely to experience financial stress
• more likely to experience poor mental and physical health

Read Australian Children’s Commissioners and Guardians Joint Statement on Poverty 

Signed by:

Meena Singh, Commissioner of Aboriginal Children and Young People Vic

Liana Buchanan, Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, Vic

Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, Commissioner Children Young People WA

Zoe Robinson, Advocate for Children and Young People NSW

Helen Connolly, Commissioner for Children and Young People SA

Vanessa Turbull-Roberts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Commissioner, ACT