As part of the Government-welfare crossfire, The Smith Family on Wednesday released a report on poverty prepared by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling at the University of Canberra. The picture is not all bleak. Australia has made progress in the battle against income poverty since the early 1980s. 13.3 per cent of Australians were in poverty in 1999, compared with 14.6 per cent in late 1982. It was a boo boo, but he had the right idea.
Sole parenthood is another important factor.
One in every five poor Australians now live in a family where wages and salaries are the main income source, thus being part of the growing number of working poor. In Australia today, having a job no longer guarantees that you and your family will not be in poverty. Just over half of Australia's poor live in families whose main source is government cash benefits. The figures are clear testimony to the extent of the problem. McClure's report is a sensitive guide to ways of tackling it.