The conference ‘Power to the Poor - Silent no more’ will explore the challenges encountered by those out of work and living in poverty, the government policies making life more difficult for them and how the community can come together to fight for justice and respect for those experiencing hardship.
Spokesperson and alliance member of the Anti-Poverty Network, Pas Forgione, explained that the conference will have a strong focus on the voices of welfare recipients. “An important part of this is to allow those in the firing line - sole parents, pensioners, the unemployed, carers, students and others on welfare payments - to share their experiences and insights, and to be listened to,” he said. “This rarely happens in our society. Those at the bottom are blamed for being poor and unemployed, and are rarely consulted, rarely given the chance to respond, to speak about what they need from governments and the rest of society.”
Mr Forgione hopes that the conference will not only challenge misconceptions, but will also promote action to start shifting the blame for unemployment and poverty onto the government and the system. “We hope that out of the conference will come not only an improved understanding of the challenges faced by low income Australians - challenges that are often made worse by and sometimes caused by government policies - but a determination to organise, to push back in all sorts of ways,” he said. “We hope the conference will challenge the misconception that if you are struggling financially, if you cannot find work, it must be your fault. This is simply not true. The fact is there are not enough jobs to go around - we know there is one job for every 11 job seekers and welfare payments are too low for people to be able to survive, regardless of how well they budget. So let's end the blaming and the punishing, and look at what is really going on.”
During the two conference sessions, the agenda will cover a wide spread of topics including mental health and poverty, unemployment, homelessness, poverty among older Australians, disability rights, job seeking agencies, working for the dole, being a sole parent on a low income and how climate change will impact Australia's poor.
This isn’t the first time the Anti-Poverty Network have organised a conference of a similar nature. Last year in October, the network hosted one of the largest Anti-Poverty Week events in Australia, which happened to be the only event organised by and for low income people.
“We received plenty of media coverage and many people shared their stories, tales of hardship and resilience, but there were also lots of ideas for actions, how we can challenge the public conversation around poverty and welfare, and challenge undesirable and unjust policies,” Mr Forgione said. “We hope this year's conference will be even bigger and better!”
Currently, hardship and poverty affect more than a million Australians.
The conference will occur on the 21st of October from 10am to 4:30pm and the 22nd of October from 12pm to 6pm, and will take place at the Clayton Wesley Uniting Church, on the corner of Portrush Road and the Parade, Beulah Park.
To find out more about the conference, email [email protected] or call 0411 587 663.
By Alma Ramcilovic
Journalism Volunteer
The Anti-Poverty Network is set to host a two day conference later this month to address the struggles of low income Australians.
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INSPIRE / October 20163
Click here to visit the Anti-Poverty Network SA website.