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Understanding disadvantage, strengthening prevention and building pathways out of poverty

Poverty affects around one in seven Australians. In the two years to 2023, around 600,000 additional people fell below the poverty line.

This report explores the complex drivers of poverty, who is most affected, and what can be done to prevent disadvantage from becoming entrenched.

What the report shows:

• Poverty is multidimensional: It affects access to housing, health, education, employment and community connection – not just income.
• Disadvantage can compound: Financial hardship can lead to housing instability, poor health, debt and reduced employment opportunities, creating cycles of persistent and intergenerational poverty.
• Poverty is experienced unevenly: First Nations Australians, single-parent families, people living with disability, older Australians and children face higher rates of poverty.
• Prevention matters: Early intervention and timely support can help prevent temporary hardship from becoming entrenched disadvantage.

Poverty is not inevitable

Reducing poverty requires both immediate support and long-term investment in prevention, early intervention and pathways towards greater stability.

Through services such as Doorways, The Salvation Army provides practical support to people experiencing hardship and helps connect them with the assistance they need to move forward.