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Join our call to end child poverty

2023 is our 21st year of acting on poverty.  The lead-up to Anti-Poverty Week 2023 is a historic opportunity for Australia.  See our statement Why Anti-Poverty Week Supports the Voice.  We are extending to run over TWO weeks from 15 – 27 October. A range of major reports will be released as well as State, Territory and Federal events during Anti-Poverty Weeks.

 

Call to End Child Poverty 

It’s not right that more than 1 in 6 Australian children are growing up in poverty.  Growing up in poverty is simply bad for children, it diminishes their physical and mental health, reduces their readiness for school and attainment in school, and the effects can last well into adulthood.

We’ve heard shocking stories of mothers pretending they’ve eaten dinner while cooking when in fact, there was not enough food to feed the whole family; of mothers forced to forego important medications and unable to maintain or fix their car.  All of which has the compounding effect of restricting their employment options. We’ve also heard of children telling their younger siblings to drink less milk and not even telling their parents about after-school activities and excursions because they know the family cannot afford them.

Money matters

The Centre for Community Child Health is one of Australia’s leading research and policy centres focused on understanding and redressing childhood inequities. As they state: “increased household income benefits children directly through better food, stable housing, and healthcare (the ‘investment’ model), and indirectly through improved parent mental health and capacity (the ‘family stress’ model).  If early disadvantage including poverty is redressed, half of child health and developmental problems in middle childhood can be reduced”. (submission #10 to the Senate Inquiry into the Nature and Extent of Poverty)

The boost in income support payments provided in the early months of the pandemic delivered large reductions in poverty for adults and children (child poverty rates were reduced to the lowest level in 20 years), but the gains were short-lived.

Our 2023 Call to Action to End Child Poverty

Let’s make sure that all Australian children and families can cover the basics and have a secure roof over their heads.  All children can thrive and be healthy when they have what they need to develop well.  In 2023 we are calling for all our Parliamentarians to legislate to #EndChildPoverty.  The Valuing Children Initiative has now endorsed this approach – see here for more and a link to the Valuing Children Initiative petition calling for a child poverty reduction act. You can see more about what other countries have done here.

The New Zealand Government introduced Child Poverty Reduction legislation in 2018 and they’ve made great progress so that fewer children live in poverty. Setting targets enshrined in legislation works and changes lives for the better.   

Read our 2 page summary of why poverty diminishes children’s lives

See our:

Media Coverage for Opinion Pieces and other articles in 2023 and 2022.

Follow us on social media @antipovertyweek and use these hashtags #EndChildPoverty #AntiPovertyWeek

Some other child poverty resources

See also APW Resources:  Poverty in Australia (Child and Family reports)

See also these websites: