On 7 September 2022, the Senate referred an inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 31 October 2023. On 12 September 2023, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 5 December 2023. On 28 November 2023, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 7 December 2023. On 6 December 2023, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 6 February 2024. On 6 February 2024, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 26 February 2024. On 26 February 2024, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 28 February 2024.
Further detail about the scope of the inquiry is provided in the terms of reference.
Sharing your experiences
The committee would like to hear from people who have lived experience of poverty.
You can share your experiences by writing to the committee – this is called making a submission.
Most submissions are published on the committee’s website and continue to be publicly accessible long after the inquiry has ended. However, you can ask the committee not to publish your submission on the internet.
You can send your written submission to the committee secretariat by emailing community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au or by uploading it via the online system.
If you cannot make a written submission, please contact the secretariat to discuss alternatives.
Submissions are due by 3 February 2023.
Please note that the committee cannot advise on, advocate for, or take action on individual matters.
More information on how to make a submission
You can read more about how to make a submission here and look at this plain English guide.
If you have any questions, or cannot send your submission by the due date and need more time, please contact the committee secretariat.
The secretariat can be contacted via community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au or (02) 6277 3515.
Inquiries from hearing and speech impaired people should be directed to the Parliament House TTY number 02 6277 7799.
Support services
If you or anyone you know needs help you can contact one of the services below: