Parliament Ignores Its Own Advice For Another Year - Anti-poverty Week

Parliament Ignores its Own Advice for Another Year National Anti-Poverty Week 2010

Eight years ago today, on 21st October 2002, the Australian Senate established the most extensive inquiry into poverty in more than 30 years. That inquiry made 95 recommendations including:

"That a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy be developed at the national level"
after "not longer than a 12 month period of consultation" and,

"That a statutory authority or unit reporting directly to the Prime Minister be established with responsibility for developing, implementing and monitoring a national anti-poverty strategy..."

"Eight years on, and Australian's in poverty are still waiting for a government to respond" said Mr Frank Quinlan, Executive Director of Catholic Social Services Australia.

"Australia needs a plan if it is to overcome poverty," said Mr Quinlan, speaking in Canberra at the end of Anti-Poverty Week 2010.

"A quick scan of our existing National Plans reveals that we have Commonwealth plans for such things as:
* Defence
* Conservation and Management of Sharks
* National Broadband
* Combating Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous
Substances
* Continence Management
* Recovery of the South-Eastern Red-Tailed Black-Cockatoo, and many more."

"We have national plans for things that are important, and for things we want to fix," said Mr Quinlan. "It's time for a national plan to overcome poverty."

"This year's Anti-Poverty Week could have been a celebration of the beginning of our success. Instead Anti-Poverty Week 2010 marks another year of lost opportunity."

"Catholic Social Services Australia provides services to over a million Australians each year through its 69 member agencies in remote, regional and metropolitan Australia. We are willing and able to work productively with the Parliament to plan for and act on - the eradication of poverty and the promotion of a truly equitable and just society."

CONTACT: Jackie Brady 0417 220779


SOURCE: Catholic Social Services Australia