Chapter 1Introduction
Referral and conduct of the inquiry
1.1On 7 September 2022, the following matter was referred to the committee for inquiry and report by 31 October 2023:
The extent and nature of poverty in Australia with particular reference to:
(a)the rates and drivers of poverty in Australia;
(b)the relationship between economic conditions (including fiscal policy, rising inflation and cost of living pressures) and poverty;
(c)the impact of poverty on individuals in relation to:
(i)employment outcomes,
(ii)housing security,
(iii)health outcomes, and
(iv)education outcomes;
(d)the impacts of poverty amongst different demographics and communities;
(e)the relationship between income support payments and poverty;
(f)mechanisms to address and reduce poverty; and
(g)any related matters.
1.2Details of the inquiry were published on the committee’s website and the committee invited a number of organisations and individuals to lodge submissions.
1.3At the time of writing, the committee has published 146 submissions and a variety of additional documents and is still in the process of considering further material received. All of the evidence published so far is listed at Appendix 1 of this report, and the committee’s final report will contain the full list of evidence received.
1.4The committee also held a number of public hearings across Australia:
20 October 2022 – Melbourne, Victoria;
6 December 2022 – Brisbane, Queensland;
13 December 2022 – Murray Bridge, South Australia;
31 January 2023 – Western Sydney, New South Wales;
21 February 2023 – Lismore, New South Wales;
27 February 2023 – Canberra, Australian Capital Territory; and
4 April 2023 – Perth, Western Australia.
1.5A list of witnesses who gave evidence at the hearings is available at Appendix 2 of this report. The committee intends to hold further hearings in other locations before the final report is presented by 31 October 2023.
Structure of the interim report
1.6Chapter 2 provides information on the current rates of poverty in Australia and identifies the cohorts in the community most likely to be experiencing poverty. It then discusses the evidence from submitters about the need for the Commonwealth Government to adopt an agreed national definition of poverty.
1.7Chapter 3 sets out the evidence as it relates to the impacts of poverty on individuals, families, and communities. It highlights the hardships and deprivations (both financial and otherwise) faced by those living in poverty, and foregrounds lived experiences.
1.8Chapter 4 outlines the structural drivers of poverty in Australia.
1.9Chapter 5 turns to the relationship between income support payments and poverty. It sets out evidence from submitters advising that the current levels of income support payments are inadequate and lead to deprivation and entrenched disadvantage. It canvasses the evidence received from submitters asserting that lifting the rate of income support payments is an effective policy lever to reduce poverty in Australia. It also briefly summarises the recent findings on income support payments released by the Interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, before concluding with the committee’s views.
Acknowledgments
1.10The committee thanks all those who contributed to the inquiry by making submissions, providing additional information and appearing at public hearings.
1.11In particular, the committee would like to acknowledge the individuals who shared their lived experience of poverty, both in written submissions and at public hearings. The committee is keenly aware that publicly sharing a personal story of poverty, so often of harrowing circumstances, can take an emotional and physical toll.
1.12The committee sincerely thanks those individuals for their courage and generosity in sharing their experiences. Lived experience stories have been instrumental to deepening the committee’s understanding of the day-to-day realities of poverty and the very real human impact of policy settings.