Often those in receipt of benefits, especially those who are on long-term benefits, come from an intergenerational history of disadvantage and unemployment. Lower levels of education combined with poor health, deprivation, stigmatisation and mental health conditions has led to a lower starting point from which to be able to acquire sustainable employment. Poverty is a great inhibitor to employment and research in Australia shows that for some families, namely those on Newstart , poverty is persistent through generations.

Anglicare Australia commends the Minister for Homelessness, the Hon Brendan O’Connor, for following through on the Government’s promise to establish legislation which enshrines a commitment to quality service provision aiming to end homelessness for people who are homeless or who are at risk of becoming so. The draft Bill is a laudable addition to the foundational documents which represent the experience of homelessness in Australia and how we, collectively, mean to overcome it. There are, however, elements of the draft Bill which have given us pause and these, along with those elements that we would particularly like to commend, are provided for consideration.

Anglicare Australia like many organisations in the community sector has grave concerns over this amendment not only in regard to the grandfathering arrangements but for the policy as a whole of moving parents, single parents in particular, onto the lower Newstart allowance.

Anglicare Australia commends Ministers Shorten and Collins along with both Treasury and FaHCSIA for the diligence they have shown in pursuing the consumer credit protection reforms. Financial exclusion, in all its forms, is a major barrier to meaningful participation and this suite of reforms assists people living on low incomes participate in society as other more financially secure individuals have the opportunity to do.

This document provides a brief summary of Anglicare Australia’s submission to the ACTU Insecure Work Inquiry in January 2012. Please refer to Anglicare Australia’s submission for more information.