Inequality a major concern Salvation Army tells Senate hearing
26 July 2017
- 49% unable or delayed paying utility bills
- $73 spent on utilities from a weekly average median income of $357
- Single parents with children live on $14.35 a day after paying for housing
The Salvation Army welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Ending Carbon Tax Compensation) Bill 2017, which was first introduced in 2016 and is again before the parliament.
As this (2017) bill reintroduces, without amendment, the same proposed cuts to recipients of income support, The Salvation Army maintains its strong concerns about the inadequacy of the current income support arrangements and any further erosion of these.
In summary, The Salvation Army:
- maintains its concern that income support recipients are already unable to adequately meet their daily needs, therefore any further call on their limited resources to meet the increasing cost of living is not sustainable.
- does not support the proposed changes to changes to Social Services Legislation Amendment (Ending Carbon Tax Compensation) Bill 2017, as these changes would directly and negatively impact on many of the individuals and families that The Salvation Army already supports.