The peak body representing most of Australia's Churches, the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) today urged the Australian Government to demonstrate serious commitment in tackling the unacceptable level of poverty in Australia.
The NCCA is calling for a national strategy to eliminate poverty in Australia.
The President of the Council, the Revd Professor James Haire said, “Thirteen percent (2.4 million) of Australians have insufficient money to cover the basic costs of food, clothing and shelter.
“This is a tragic figure for our nation.
“We urge the government to take a leadership role by making the issue of poverty reduction a first order priority for the nation.
“It is time to take politics out of poverty, and bring all state and territory governments together in a partnership and produce a national strategy for poverty elimination in Australia.
“So the NCCA calls on the Australian government to exercise leadership in governing for the benefit of all Australians ensuring that individual, families and communities have access to the social opportunities and basic goods required to participate fully in every day life.
“We believe it is paramount that poverty indicators and targets to measure the effectiveness of strategies to improve the well being of the poorest groups be put in place.
