A 15 month-long Australian Senate inquiry, entitled “A hand up not a hand out: Renewing the fight against poverty”, identifies a continuing decline in income for many poor households and emphasises the central role of employment opportunities in tackling poverty. It highlights these points:
> Between 1984 and 1999, the top 20% of Australian income earners saw a 1% increase in their disposable income, while the poorest 20% saw a 10% drop;
> Twenty-one per cent of Australians — about 3.6 million people — live on less than $A400 per week, which is $31 less than the full-time minimum wage;
> One million Australians are considered to be poor although they live in households where at least one adult works;
> 700,000 children are growing up with neither parent working full-time; and
> The poorest 20% of the population use government services less than people in the next two population bands.

The Democrats believe that the level of poverty in Australia is unacceptable. The wealth gap between the rich and poor in Australia has grown over the past decade. Despite more than a decade of continual economic growth, this prosperity has left many in middle Australia standing still and many of the poorest worse off.

In recent times, the Government has even pushed through legislation which is directly contributing to higher poverty by reducing the incomes of many sole parents and people with disabilities.

http://www.democrats.org.au/campaigns/poverty_in_australia/