Anti-Poverty Week 2021

Money Talks: The Conversations We Need to Have

Anti-Poverty Week is a national awareness campaign to highlight the financial struggles of thousands of Australians facing poverty every day. At The Salvation Army, we have seen how isolating financial hardship and poverty can be for people, and how important it is to talk about poverty, to access early intervention and relief supports.

Sudden job losses, unexpected health crises or a natural disaster can strike at any time and we believe that opportunity, recovery and hope for the future should be available to anyone. If you are feeling financial stress, our Moneycare and Doorways teams are always ready to help you escape from financial stress, from emergency supports right through to managing debt.

Find out which right Salvation Army financial service is right for you

This year as part of Anti-Poverty Week, The Salvation Army is encouraging people to talk about money with friends and family. We have developed these conversation starters to help start the conversation among all ages, and establish a healthy money mindset from a young age.

Find out how to start the conversation

The Salvation Army knows that poverty, how people find themselves in it, and how to get out of it, must be at the heart of our national discourse. We are calling for governments to address the causes and needs of people experiencing poverty, including by:

• Significantly and permanently increasing the JobSeeker payment and Youth Allowance payment to bring them in line with the current costs of living and searching for work in Australia, and to allow recipients to live with dignity.
• Implementing a mechanism for income support payment indexation that is linked to genuine costs and needs.
• Broadening complementary supports, including:
  
  • Commonwealth Rent Assistance, ensuring the system is effective, better targeted to address the variable cost of rent, and responsive to changes in the housing market.
  • Wraparound services for people facing significant barriers to employment
  • Financial counselling and financial resilience tools.

For more information visit The Salvation Army Anti-Poverty Week 2021 campaign page