Sociology Report Australian 2022

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
SOCIOLOGY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

SOCIOLOGY1
Introduction
Poverty is a relative concept used in order to explain individuals in the society who are
incompetent of affording the essential amenities for daily-continued existence. The issue of
relative poverty in Australia as well as its measurement are considered contentious political
problems. However, many positioned on the left wing of Australian politics have argued that
relative poverty is supposed to be effectual measure. Reports revealed that considering
accommodation expenses there has been estimated around 12.5% to live in households, which
are below the most austere poverty line. According to Martinez and Perales (2017), in Australia,
the term ‘poverty’ refers to the living in relative poverty that is population whose standards of
living tend to fall below an overall community standard. People living in poverty line not only
have reduced levels of income but also tend to lose significant avenues as well as resources
which financially affluent ones take for granted for example adequate health, educational
services, employment opportunities and proper housing and accommodation. There can be
studied number of ways to estimate relative poverty leading to various levels of poverty. Website
of Acoss.org (2019) cite examples of Smith Family and National Centre for Social and
Economic Modelling (NATSEM) report in the year 2000 reported that at least 1 in 8 Australians
are experiencing financial shortage. However, relative poverty line tends to rise with the upsurge
of income level of population as a whole. On the other hand, fixed poverty line tends to increase
in accordance to inflation. Meanwhile, Doyle, Mendes and Duffy (2015) have noted that poverty
tends to persist in Australia in spite of the existence of welfare system. The aim of the essay is to
analyse policy as social issue and ways in which it is measured. In addition to this, the paper
seeks to focus on groups, which show higher propensity to live in poverty and significant overlap

SOCIOLOGY2
between these groups. Most importantly, the paper will analyse Australian public policy
responses to poverty.
Discussion
Understanding the Issue of Poverty in Australia
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has presented idea of ‘low economic resource
families’ referring population with low wages and little monetary benefits. Such a measure tends
to overcome the social problems of counting in the total of poverty for those who have low wage,
while comprise of relative high wealth such as having proper accommodation amenities. Cheers
(2019) has conducted important exploration on relative lack of economy in Australia during the
early 1990s and essentially deliberated ways and extent to which poverty pose impact on social
integration and capacity of people in order to live accomplished life rather than experiencing
stigmatisation. Drawing relevance to the research, they have contended on the usage of poverty
lines signifying that the deliberation regarding poverty dimension is typically a disruption and
operates in order to complex the significance of principled opinions regarding proper living and
enjoying adequate amenities. Meanwhile, Hérault and Jenkins (2019) have argued that poverty
lines tend to be severely rudimentary and uninformed specifically in relation to the capacity of
shaping policy. Furthermore, they have reasoned the application of ‘consistent poverty approach’
which cartels vital dealings of low returns with extra measures of financial deficiency.
Another critical measure of poverty is distinguished as poverty gap. In the view of
Saunders, Wong and Bradbury (2016), this evaluates the regular depth of economic shortage for
the ones who observe themselves to be below the poverty line. This averages $135 per week
further pointing out that number of Australians is under the poverty line. Moreover, from global
viewpoint, Australia has attained position in the topmost half of the Organisation for Economic

SOCIOLOGY3
Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations with poverty rate 14th beyond 36 OECD
nations. Studies reveal that major proportion of people in Australia estimated around 53% are
below the poverty line and tend to depend on social security as their primary source of earnings.
Doyle, Mendes and Duffy (2015) claim that social security policies undoubtedly pose severe
impacts on poverty constructively or unconstructively. Since substantial earnings support
payments tend to be below the poverty line, thus to evade monetary insufficiency Australians
require to appendage their social safety costs with private earnings or strategize to improve
social security system as a whole. Reports mention that the overall poverty rate in recent times
has been fluctuating within a band estimated between 11.5% and 14.4% in the period of 1999-00
and 2015-16. Moreover, poverty in Australia declined at a significant rate from 13.1% in 1999 to
11.5% in 2003. However, it upsurged substantially during the financial flourishing years to
almost 14.4% prior to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Although, in 2007 the poverty line
dropped down to 12.6% during 2009 reaching approximately it increased up to 12.8% in 2015-
2016.
Drawing insights from the rates Cheers (2019) has asserted that financial conditions and
social security fluctuates which includes major upsurge in the single pension rate in 2009, that
has been considered as major drivers of poverty in Australia. Reports mention that in 2013,
considering accommodation expenses, around 12.8% of Australians have been living lower than
the poverty line. Furthermore, in 2014, around 18% of children below 15 years lived in families
with no income. Such a rate of poverty is estimated to be significantly higher in comparison to
the OECD nations with around 10.7%, leading Australia to occupy the fourth highest nation in
the OECD with children included in unemployed households. In addition to this, there can be
studied around 65% of single parent families who have been distinguished as low economic