‘No poverty’ target in poll

The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
22 August 2004

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‘No poverty’ target in poll

By John O’Neill

The mission statement of the St Vincent de Paul Society is the driving force behind the good works carried out by members, volunteers and staff of the organisation throughout Australia.

This statement speaks to us of spiritual renewal and walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who assisted and comforted those most needy. Our mission statement, as was Christ’s mission, revolves around social justice, “We seek to co-operate in shaping a more just and compassionate Australian community,” is a clear statement which suggests that a crucial part of the Society’s role is to speak out in support of the rights of those who we assist every day.

Each year, Society members provide assistance to approximately 800,000 people who are experiencing some degree of either short or long-term poverty crisis. Poverty is a state of living that dramatically affects large numbers of people in our society, though this state of poverty is not solely the effect of financial disadvantage. While financial disadvantage contributes to and exacerbates the problems for the marginalised, of equal disturbance and concern is the disparity of opportunity, usually resulting in social exclusion. It is this lack of opportunity which brings about poverty and restricts people from escaping the poverty cycle. The scarcity of access to jobs, housing, health care, child care, education and transport leads to intergenerational poverty.

Our founder, Frederic Ozanam, told us: “You must not be content with tiding the poor over the poverty crisis: you must study their condition and the injustices which brought about such poverty, with the aim of a long-term improvement.” In June this year the Society, as a national body, joined with a new collective of faith based organisations, called Christian Community Services Against Poverty, to take up this challenge. This group launched a campaign on June 22, called No More Poverty, taking the fight against poverty to Federal Parliament.

The Christian Community Services Against Poverty group is calling on Australians to be conscious of and to make political candidates aware of the issues surrounding poverty in our communities.

Research shows that there are 3.6 million Australians living on a household income of under $400 a week and over 800,000 children living in a jobless household. These are statistics that we, as a nation, cannot ignore.

The awareness campaign highlights some startling statistics including: half of our population owns only seven per cent of the wealth, one in six teenagers will never have a secure job and half a million Australians wait four years to visit a dentist. The campaign calls on organisations and individuals to write to their local member drawing, attention to the plight of our nation’s disadvantaged people.

It is hoped that as a result of this campaign, politicians will agree to establish a national forum to prepare a national strategy similar to the one that has proven to be a success in Ireland. It is envisaged that a national strategy would assist in helping to alleviate poverty throughout Australia, reduce the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, as well as the development of a fairer Australia.

Please join the St Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Welfare Australia, Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, Catholic Health Australia, Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes, Jesuit Social Services, Anglicare Australia and Uniting Care Australia fight against poverty in Australia.

The St Vincent de Paul Society has been and continues to be effective in being the voice for those people with no, or limited, power to speak for themselves.

This No More Poverty campaign provides us with a collective voice to work towards long-term change.

For more information on how to get involved, please visit, www.nomorepoverty.org.au or www.vinnies.org.au