A hand up not a hand out: renewing the fight against poverty: report on poverty and financial hardship

There has been a significant growth in poverty in Australia over the last decade. At the time of this report's release a consensus of estimates puts the number of people living in poverty at between two and three and a half million. In reporting on this inquiry into poverty the Senate Community Affairs References Committee gathered information and submissions from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Commonwealth Departments, charities and welfare organisations with research capacities, private sources, and Hansard records of hearings made during the inquiry. The findings are reported under the following chapters: Overview; Recommendations; Introduction; Defining and measuring poverty; Poverty and inequality in Australia; Unemployment and the changing labour market; Income support; Housing; Education and training; Health; Other issues: utilities, credit, gambling; Women and sole parents; Children in poverty; Youth and student issues; Indigenous Australians; Rural and regional communities; Older people, migrants and refugees; People with a disability; Service providers; Future directions; Balancing the picture on poverty.