Australian Call to Make Poverty a Priotity

SYDNEY, October 17, 2004 (coss.net.au): Four of Australia’s largest charities – Anglicare Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Catholic Welfare Australia, and UnitingCare – as well as the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), have called on the re-elected  Federal Coalition government to make the most of Australia’s economic stability and prosperity by committing to a National Anti-Poverty Plan within its first 100 days of government. 
        Anglicare Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Catholic Welfare Australia, UnitingCare and ACOSS called on the government and all politicians returning to Canberra to create a well resourced National Anti-Poverty Plan to help the poorest Australians.

“Access to and affordability of services such as housing, education, health, and employment is already beyond the reach of many Australians. With two million people living in poverty in Australia, we call on this Government to urgently address this matter1. By acting now, we can save ourselves the social and economic costs the poverty will create in the future,” said ACOSS President Andrew McCallum on behalf of the group.

“While many Australians have enjoyed the benefits of economic growth and sizeable budget surpluses, sadly for many the economic ship had sailed past them. It would be a national disgrace not to invest surpluses to reduce the number of people living in poverty – especially when Australia has the fifth highest level of poverty in the OECD,” said Anglicare Australia Executive Director Sue Leppert. (Interviews Tel: 0402 825 282)

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