Introduction by Croakey: Ahead of this weekend’s federal election, independents, Greens Party and other crossbench candidates are urging the next government to “substantially increase income support payments” to address the cost of living crisis and lift people out of poverty.
“The message to the next government is loud and clear. It’s time to finally raise the rate. Australia is in the midst of a cost of living crisis, yet our income support system continues to trap people in poverty,” said Dr Cassandra Goldie, CEO of ACOSS.
“It’s a disgrace that in one of the world’s wealthiest countries, our Government continues to ignore the expert advice about the most important action needed to tackle poverty, raising the rate of income supports.”
The statement has been signed by 74 independent and minor party candidates including Zali Steggall, Dr Sophie Scamps, Zoe Daniel, Helen Haines, Andrew Wilkie, Dr Monique Ryan, David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie, Allegra Spender, Kylea Tink, Kate Chaney, Lidia Thorpe, Fatima Payman, and Greens representatives and candidates.
Other signatories include prominent economists Chris Richardson, Nicki Hutley, Jeff Borland, Nicholas Gruen and community leaders, including Mental Health Australia CEO Carolyn Nikoloski and Chief Executive Women CEO Lisa Annese.
Meanwhile, Fiona Carberry, a recently retired psychologist, social worker and policy adviser, offers a prayer to Saint Anthony – “the one people pray to for finding lost items or seeking specific favours”.
Fiona Carberry writes:
Prime Minister of Australia,
News of the death of Pope Francis only a day after his Easter Sunday appearance on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica provided some respite from this ‘cost of living’ election campaign.
While the focus on cost of groceries, petrol and energy put a spotlight on some important determinants of health, silence around addressing poverty and key causes for the cost of living crisis has been noticed.
In your LinkedIn video eulogising Pope Francis, you remind the nation that the Holy Father took the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, “that great champion of the poor”.
You speak admiringly of how the Holy Father “practised what he preached … was tireless in advocating for the powerless, campaigning against poverty, for the rights of working people, and for protecting our natural environment”.
You call him “the people’s Pope.” I admit, the Pope’s renunciation of materialism and denunciation of capitalism as “the devil’s dung” is inspiring to a long-lapsed Catholic like me.
My first thought on hearing your speech was that Pope Francis sounds like the ideal Prime Minister – a person with a social conscience and a green tinge! That job is taken by you though – at least until 3 May.
I wonder how Pope Francis would appraise your Prime Ministership.
You too are a champion for the rights of working people – you consistently support higher wages for the lowest paid, and you reminded us over the Easter long weekend that “only Labor will protect weekend penalty rates”.
Advocate for the powerless?
The Holy Father would surely have praised your endeavours to empower Australia’s dispossessed Indigenous people through the Voice referendum, but would undoubtedly be disappointed that you reneged on the pursuit of truth-telling and treaties for our First Nations people.
Protector of the natural environment?
The Holy Father would surely not have condoned your government allowing the mining industry to keep plundering our natural resources and wrecking the environment.
What would the Holy Father have made of your record on the treatment of Australia’s poor?
It’s been a long time since you even mentioned those who feel the worst pinch of poverty – that is, people on income support payments generally, and specifically unemployed people on JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance.
Poverty seems to be a dirty word in this very wealthy country.
For three successive Budgets since you became PM, persistent calls to raise the rate of JobSeeker Payment to an adequate level appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
No amount of research, quantitative cost benefit analysis, or advice from the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee that you appointed, makes any difference.
You know that $56 a day is not enough to live on and is well below the poverty line. You know what the rate of JobSeeker Payment needs to be to lift people out of poverty, and you know how much it would cost to increase it. You know how often jobseekers go without meals. You know how many jobseekers suicide. Still, you’re not moved to act.
As you are Catholic, I guess your namesake is Saint Anthony, the one people pray to for finding lost items or seeking specific favours.
What’s been lost in this instance is compassion for the poor so I’m petitioning you to find yours.
My prayer to St Anthony is a last resort on behalf of the 1.1 million people reliant on JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance.
Briefings, reports, hard data, costings, analysis aside, simply hear my prayer.
Forgive me for resorting to a YouTube video for the protocol on the Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony (by the way, it was preceded by Labor’s campaign ad, “when he – Peter Dutton – cuts, you’ll pay”).
The prayer template with my request inserted goes like this:
“O Holy St Anthony…Miracles followed your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or need… I implore you to find lost compassion for Australians living in poverty on JobSeeker Payment and immediately rectify this injustice by using your power to raise the rate of JobSeeker Payment if you are returned to office for another term. The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the saint of miracles.”
You may find this format useful on election night to say your own prayer to St. Antony (Green) of the ABC to call the election in your favour. If it’s lost, then you will have lost the opportunity to emulate Pope Francis as a champion of the poor and leave a legacy that would’ve done the Holy Father proud.
I leave you with ‘the miracle question,’ one that psychotherapists ask to encourage people to imagine the possibilities for how life will be changed when a problem is solved. It requires a leap of faith.
Suppose that while you’re sleeping on election night, unbeknown to you, a miracle happens.
When you wake up in the morning, you find you’ve won the election (that’s not the miracle), and JobSeeker Payment has been raised to the pension rate!
What will be different in the lives of unemployed people now that this miracle has happened?
Sincerely,
Fiona Carberry, a recently retired psychologist, social worker and policy adviser for both the Commonwealth and WA State governments. She worked in the Department of Social Security, and was also an adviser on income support policy in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet during the Keating years.
Further reading
Poverty is still an increasing challenge in the UK, Greg Fell, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health
“Unless we make significant national policy changes, people will continue to get sick from avoidable illnesses caused by living in poverty,” Fell writes.
Support
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services
13YARN: 13 92 76
1800Respect: 1800 737 732
The Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention (CBPATSISP)
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
QLIFE: 1800 184 527
StandBy Support After Suicide: 1300 727 247
headspace: 1800 650 890
Read Croakey’s coverage of the 2025 Federal election here.
