ACTU: Anti-Poverty Week

When things get tough the rich sell a beach house while everyone else may lose their job, their livelihood, their home.

Never has Amanda Vanstone spoken a truer word but unfortunately the rest of her thoughts about the rich versus poor debate in Australia shows just how out of touch the Liberals really are.

The former Howard Government minister’s opinion piece in Fairfax newspapers on Monday defending the so-called rich from the “rough deal” they receive in the media comes just one day after the release of the Poverty in Australia report revealed that poverty in Australia is increasing, with one in seven Australians living below the poverty line.

The irony is overwhelming.

Anti-Poverty Week is not the time for clichéd discussions about the rich and the poor – it’s an opportunity to think about what we as a society value and the sort of Australia in which we want to live.

Our living standards are under threat

Australians fundamentally believe in the fair go, that everyone deserves the right to a decent job, universal healthcare, education and the social wage – the public services and social safety net that is so important to our way of life.

But the reality is that the living standards we have fought so hard to enjoy are under threat from a Federal Government that is out of touch with the lives of everyday Australians.

While Amanda Vanstone may be sick of hearing about the growing gap between the rich and poor – thousands of Australians live with that gap everyday. They are not wondering if they will have to sell their holiday house, they are wondering how they are going to find the money to pay for their child’s school excursion or doctor’s visit.

The truth of the matter is that it is not just the unemployed living in poverty, the number of working poor in Australia is increasing and if we as a society are serious about addressing rising poverty and inequality, then we need to get serious about tackling insecure work.

A staggering 40% of the Australian workforce is employed in insecure work and one in four of all employees have salaries that vary from one pay period to the next.

More and more Australians have jobs with irregular and unpredictable working hours and pay, as well as inferior rights and entitlements, including limited or no access to paid leave and no job security.

While Vanstone may be sick of hearing about the growing gap between the rich and poor – thousands of Australians live with that gap everyday.

They may have a job, but the insecure nature of casual and contract work makes it difficult for these workers to get loans, rent a house and get access to training and promotion opportunities.

Quality, secure jobs are the key to a shared national prosperity, which is why unions are pushing to give more than two million casual workers in Australia the right to become permanent employees.

Under the current review of modern awards, the ACTU is preparing to lodge a claim with the Fair Work Commission to have a clause entered into all modern awards that will allow casual employees to become permanent staff members.

This change is targeted at workers who are permanent in everything but name, not genuine casuals such as students who work irregular shifts in bars or restaurants.

This is about the teachers, receptionists, disability support and aged care workers who are already genuinely working permanent hours and deserve to have that recognised.

People are not just tools

Getting this change into Awards isn’t the complete solution nor is it the end of the debate about secure work but it’s a part of the puzzle and unions will continue to offer solutions to improve people’s lives.

We need to remember that people are not just tools for employers to use – they have lives and families and deserve to be given the respect of decent, secure work.

A lack of job security and irregular income can see people slip into poverty. What’s at risk is an American-style working poor emerging in this country – something that Australian’s overwhelming reject.

This is the sort of discussion that we should be have during Anti Poverty Week – a genuine policy solution that will benefit millions of Australians instead of tired clichés about the rich and poor.