Editorial: Duty to the poor

The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
18 April 2004

Pope still favourite of young Catholics

Church groups unite in call for poverty inquiry

Lisa’s struggle to make ends meet

Sydney education office helps Solomons rebuild

US ‘marriage rescue’ plan

After the pregnant pause: ‘Extra special’ - The most beautiful baby, of course

PM’s award to Fr Chris Riley

Cardinal Pell keynote speaker

Editorial: Duty to the poor

Letters: Baby blessed

Conversation: Lyndon Cox, director of Catholic Youth Services - Drawing the young back to the parish

St Vincent de Paul: How we help our twins

Sybil pushes the boundaries

Peace, love inspire student art

Christians, Muslims, Jews gather in prayer for peace

Jesus is the meaning of life, bishop tells Vietnamese

Salesians fight poverty, hunger in East Timor

Joey’s just pipped

Editorial: Duty to the poor

IT was 17 years ago that Bob Hawke, the Australian prime minister of the day, declared that “no child would live in poverty by 1990”.

As we know today, that pledge, though no doubt made in good faith, has proved to be hollow.

In fact, according to a recent Senate report, 700,000 Australian children now live in households where

neither parent works.

And 21 per cent of Australians exist on $400 a week or less, well below the minimum wage.

As anyone with a family can attest, food, clothing, toiletries and transport costs would dig deep into that sort of income – without taking into account the cost of renting the roof over your head.

These statistics paint a sad and disturbing picture of what Catholic welfare groups are calling the emergence of a permanent underclass.

This would prove a threat to the very fabric of a society which once prided itself on egalitarianism and a fair go for all.

What is harder to understand is that this is happening at a time of a buoyant economy and continuing falling unemployment. Unfortunately, while those of us who are comfortably off are becoming more so, the poorest are continuing to fall behind.

What is sadder, too, is the seeming lack of leadership from both sides of politics in addressing the issue.

As the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Terry McCarthy says, “It just beggars belief that Australian politicians aren’t doing what they were elected for and looking after Australians at large”.

It is a view shared Fr Peter Norden from Jesuit Social Services who calls on Australians not to close their hearts to the plight of our fellow citizens.

A national bipartisan strategy might well be the answer to improving the lot of our poor. Such an investment must result in a nation richer not only in material terms but in greater measures of justice and compassion.

We also have a clear direction from the Gospels to help the poor, with Jesus telling us that “as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me”.