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Poverty In Australia Essay

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Introduction

Poverty in Australia: What is poverty and how is it measured?

Poverty is described as the inability to afford essential goods and services that most people take for granted (The Australian Collaboration, 2014). Peter Saunders points out that the key underpinning of poverty is that it ‘prevents people from consuming, owning or doing things that are an essential part of belonging to the societies in which they live’ (Fawcett et al., 2010). People living near or below the poverty line not only have low levels of income, but experience major inequalities such as inadequate healthcare and reduced housing, education and employment opportunities (ACOSS, 2014).

In Australia the poverty line for a single adult is measured by 50% and …show more content…

This shows that 27.4% of people with disability are currently living below the poverty line of 50% median household income compared to 12.8% for the total population. This means that people with disability are twice more likely to be in poverty than other people. This does not take not account of the additional costs relating to disability (housing, transport and medical services) faced by many with disability. A previous study found that taking these costs into account substantially increases the level of poverty among people with disability (ACOSS, 2014).
• Among Indigenous Australian respondents aged 15 years or over, the 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) reported just over one-third had disability or long-term health condition.
• The 2006 Census estimated 19, 500 Indigenous Australians had a ‘core activity restriction’. This was 0.2% higher than non-Indigenous peoples. It is very difficult to provide an accurate depiction of disability within the Indigenous community. Prior to the NATSISS, there were no national surveys of Indigenous disability. Two further data collections have occurred since this time, the 2006 Census and the 2009 NATSISS. However, there is reason to suggest that these surveys understate the extent of disability amongst Indigenous Australians (ACOSS,

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