Childhood Poverty in the Lucky Country
We are the Lucky Country: a land abundant in riches of all kinds. But even in the Lucky Country we are not free of childhood poverty. What do us Aussies know about childhood poverty here? We know it’s surely no good thing and with this cost-of-living crisis, it’s fair to say that all of us have money on our minds, leading more and more Australians to worry about the no longer invisible issue that is poverty in Australia.
The facts are that over 3 million Australians live in poverty, that over 761,000 kids live in poverty. To these Aussies and to these kids, poverty isn’t a statistic – it’s a lived reality. As we all try to keep our heads above water and keep on keeping on, the ‘them’ becomes an ‘us’. Living in poverty is more than incomes and materials. There is no one way that poverty looks or is but for everyone it’s an exhausting fight to turn a ‘not enough’ into a ‘barely enough’. The sinking of ‘a just enough’. It’s feeling trapped, feeling suffocated. It’s the anxiety of each dollar. The anxiety of tomorrow, the work/school days and anticipated costs. It’s sitting with yourself and the feeling of having failed, the feeling of being ‘other’. The stigma and the labels come part and parcel with having low-socio economic status. And it all takes a toll.
Poverty deals a low blow to mental health. For anyone that’s a lot. For kids? Between worrying about money and their parents, the isolation and pain from being ‘othered’ and a sense of hopelessness and anxiety about the future, it’s exhausting and debilitating. There’s so much to contend with and it all blurs and feeds into each other: a vicious cycle. Poverty affects mental health.
Mental health then affects energy levels, motivation and day-to-day performance. When these challenges are met with the rigidity of school, workplace and health systems, the lack of support leaves people at a loss. It gets to a point where it can no longer be sustained and the camel’s back breaks, leaving Australians and Aussie kids to slip through the cracks of apparent safety nets. This is when you see school refusal, drop-outs, unemployment and homelessness emerge. As a result, people and youth are left with more obstacles as they struggle to find work and earn a living; as they remain in poverty.
For these Australians, our people and youth – it is not their fault. Poverty isn’t a reflection nor a result of inability or incapability. It’s a reflection and result of a society that doesn’t fully protect its people. A lead in to why marginalised communities experience exacerbated poverty. Inequality and poverty are intrinsically linked. However, it is not just marginalised Australians who poverty can affect. Poverty can affect anyone: born into it or not, systemically privileged or not, job or not –something we are all finding with the hits the pandemic, planetary crisis, global conflicts and increased cost-of-living have all taken to the economy. This is leaving the people of Australia feeling vulnerable and possibly more aware of poverty than ever.
4 in 5 Australians support the Australian Government regularly measuring and reporting on poverty in Australia… something which does not currently happen. As of right now, the only reporting and measuring that occurs is through NGOs and universities. As appreciated as this is, the reach, accessibility and multitude of data is little compared to what could be with the help of the Australian Government. In order to eliminate childhood poverty and poverty in general in Australia, in accordance with global goals, poverty needs to be on the agenda. This means setting and measuring a poverty line like other countries. It means increasing the rate of income support payments and following in NZ’s footsteps by introducing a Childhood Poverty Reduction Act. It means regularly measuring and reporting on poverty so we can better understand it, prevent it and address it. It means reviewing policies of health, workplace and school systems. We have the solutions. The decision to act hinges on willpower alone.
It’s up to us to put an end to childhood poverty: to the stigma, mental health challenges and vicious cycle. Australia is the Lucky Country but eliminating childhood poverty comes down to anything but luck. Here at Imagine Re-evolution we are set on actioning change and providing opportunities for young people to learn, connect and escape the cycle. Will you join us in our fight to end childhood poverty?
