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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (29 June) . . Page.. 2276 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

emphasis on the position of the ACT relative to the other states. But this has nothing to do with what the ACT government has done.

I would like to remind members of some of the conclusions of the poverty task group. When asked to respond to whether or not poverty was an issue in the ACT, respondents of the survey overwhelmingly agreed that it was a major issue, with 90 per cent indicating that poverty was a big issue in the ACT-a very different view to the one we just heard from the Chief Minister.

Respondents were asked to identify what they felt were the major impacts of poverty. A range of options were provided and they spanned impacts identified in other consultation activities such as access to resources, effects on personal wellbeing and participation in the community. The responses to this issue, which are referred to later in the report, demonstrate strong agreement on the major impacts of poverty in the ACT. Eighty-four per cent of respondents identified an inability to afford basic items; 80 per cent referred to the effects on health; and 70 per cent spoke about an inability to afford housing. Access to resources, equity of access to resources, personal wellbeing and participation in the community were all needs which were identified.

One of the participants said:

Participants spoke of low income earners as an emerging group of people affected by poverty. Issues that were raised in discussions included work instability, the casualisation of working and inability to plan due to unpredictability of the work environment.

Participants also expressed the view that the relative affluence of the ACT means that it is more difficult to survive on a low income. Many participants felt that the cost of living was higher in the ACT than elsewhere and they stated that this meant that poverty is hidden in the ACT.

Consultation participants also suggested that services designed to provide resources and support individuals were under so much pressure that individuals and families had to reach a crisis point prior to being able to get assistance. Further, there was a feeling that this predominantly reactive response is a more costly way to manage crisis and less effective in assisting individuals in a meaningful way.

It is also interesting to look at the groups identified as having specific issues surrounding equity of access. They included: local indigenous communities; people with disabilities; people with chronic illnesses or a mental illness; single parent families-most often women; young people; and people from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Basically, I want to make it clear that Ms Carnell has not responded to my concerns about the level of analysis from this government in respect of the Chief Minister's Department. I expressed my concern that the targets that this government produces are inadequate. She claimed that this was not the case. She said that we have targets in the purchase agreement, in the budget and in the State of the Territory Report. I am glad that Ms Carnell reminded me of this because I have looked at it again and it reminded me

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