Talk:Australian opposition minister gives speech on poverty

Original reporting

Tanya's speech occurred at the University of New South Wales at 1pm on October 20 2005. I attended and took notes, most of which are transcribed below. Anything in quote marks is a direct quote. - Borofkin 05:03, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

Kudos

thanks for covering this issue I herd about it on the news and searched the senate archives but couldnt locate the transcript great work

Notes

"There has never been a better time to reafirm our committment to ending poverty"

Millenium goals - Australia signed on, but not fulfilling.

"We signed on to the millenium goals"

"In it's rush to be popular with the US the government went along with watering down the millenium goals"

"The Australian government is refusing to commit to the 0.7% target"

Immediate things to be done to reduce poverty - foreign assistance e.g. mosquito nets.

"Malaria has a terrible human toll, but also has an economic effect"

"Labor is committed to the 0.7% target. In the interim, the government should be spending 0.5% of GNI."

Quality of aid.

"In Papua New Guinea, one of our closest neighbours, 85% of people live in rural areas, but only 9% of aid from Australia goes to rural areas"

Microcredit - Indian Cow Bank - women loaned cows.

"We have to give more thoughtfully"

Wealth distribution.

"We have a nation now more divided than ever. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer"

"2.4 million Australians are living below the poverty line. 1 million of these people have jobs"

Income divide in sydney - two suburbs (Waterloo and Surry Hills) - next to each other but deeply divided economically.

"Within walking distance of one another we have two countries"

"The Labor party has always been committed to increasing prosperity so that everyone can have a slice"

Demonisation of the poor.

"The assumption is that if you are relying on social security you are morally bankrupt, that it is a choice"

"The notion that it is simply about choice is wrong, and it is intentionally wrong, because it is used to justify welfare cuts"

"Incentives for poor people means taking money away, whereas incentives for rich people to work means giving more money to them"

"The people who suffer most re children. We have almost 1 million children living in poverty"

Family tax type A and type B.

"In the UK 2 million people have been lifted out of poverty"

"IR changes will see poverty worsen. It will increase the number of working poor"

"In the US 3/4 (?) of people in homeless shelters are working full-time" (need to confirm that figure)

"If Billy can not earn enough to live, then taxpayers are effectively subsidising business"

"If the system has no minimum standards it will drag everyone down. Unions have fought against this for over a century"

"We turn away 1 in 2 people who approach homeless services for help"

"I don't think we have to accept that people will always be poor. It is a situation we allow"

"We turn 20,000 people away from TAFE and University each year"

Skills crisis - we search overseas for people with skills.

Welfare to work.

UK targetted child poverty.

The benefits of childcare. Childcare centres provide support & training for parents.

"For some kids childcare is a better place than a home where there is abuse or neglect."