Anti Poverty Week
While many Australians juggle payments of bills, people living in poverty have to make difficult choices – such as skipping a meal to pay for a child’s textbooks. Although some people are trapped in a cycle of poverty, others struggle because of job loss and relationships breakdowns, experiencing bouts of poverty across their lives – with particular groups more at risk. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 58% of indigenous people, 28% of jobless people, 28% of people renting, 22% of single parents, and 7% of older people are at risk. Those living in poverty are often dismissed as anti-social or not serious about seeking employment, Professor of History at Monash University Mark Peel says that poverty should be more often attributed to the role of ‘disasters’ or the incidence of extreme adversity. The Wire spoke with him earlier.