Ahead of the Federal Budget, Anglicare Australia is calling for real action on living costs, not one-off payments.
Anglicare Australia’s Acting Executive Director Maiy Azize said Australians want action on poverty and investment in communities.
“Living costs are spiralling, people are still recovering from the pandemic, and many communities are reeling after floods and storms. One-off payments and tax cuts are not the answer to these problems, and Australians know it.
“The Government says that this Budget will help people meet their everyday costs. But they seem blind to those who are struggling the most.
“Millions of Australians are trapped in housing stress. And hundreds of thousands of people out of work are stuck on payments that are frozen on dangerously low levels.
“The fact is that one-off payments and tax cuts won’t help people out of poverty. That’s why three quarters of people polled by Anglicare Australia say they want action on jobs, wages and services over tax cuts.
“We know what we need to do to make Australia fairer – invest in housing for those in need, create secure jobs, and raise payments over the poverty line.
“These one-off payments are a sign that that people can’t keep up. We need to fix these problems once and for all, not put a band-aid over them,” Ms Azize said.
Ahead of the Budget, Anglicare Australia has called for:
– Job creation programs
– An increase to Government payments above the poverty line
– An investment in affordable and social housing
– A fairer tax system.
Anglicare Australia’s Budget Submission is available to download.