Two of the outstanding injustices we face in Australia today are to do with the situation of the First Nations in this society and accelerating inequality and poverty across the whole community.
The incarceration rates of Indigenous people are an international scandal, as is the infant mortality rate, life expectancy, early childhood education, literacy, numeracy, school attendance, Year 12 attainment and employment.
“And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror].” [Quran 14:42 ]
Closing the Gap
The Closing the Gap Agreement launched in 2008 has shown disappointing progress.
The results reported in 2022 were condemned by more than 47 peak Aboriginal organisations. They blamed failure on the lack of input into the policy from indigenous people. [Guardian, 12 February 2022 ]
The failure continues.
In 2023, recognising lack of progress, PM Albanese, announced that $424 million in new money would be allocated to address indigenous disadvantage across areas such as housing, food, education and water infrastructure.
The gap is profound.
Dialysis is needed in many outback communities but lack of clean water means it cannot be made available. [Indigenous Australians Minister Burney ABC News, 13 February 2023]
This lack of input from indigenous people will be addressed by the Voice to Parliament, if the No campaign fails and the mineral lobby supported by the corporate media and the conservative opposition is defeated.
Growing Injustice across society
Alongside this racial injustice there is growing social inequality across the nation, affecting all communities except the elite.
Unemployment in Australia is very low, but working families are in trouble.
Even those earning more than the minimum wage cannot live a healthy lifestyle.
A study by the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre asked how much income is ‘enough’ to allow people to live a minimal, healthy lifestyle.
“A single, low-income, full-time worker living in Sydney was deemed to receive $852 in total income, after tax.
That’s about 20 per cent higher than the minimum wage.
But that individual needed $945 for food, clothing, personal and household items, health, housing, transport, and an “austere” level of discretionary spending.” (ABC News, 15 June 2023 )
Wage increases in general have not matched the inflation rate, but corporate profits have surged.
“Coles Group announced a 17.1 % increase in profit and Woolworths Group announced a 14.1% increase. [The Business ABC, 9 March 2023 ]
Meanwhile “Managing director base salaries across listed companies increased an average of 14% this financial year, while chief executive salaries rose by 15%, the report found.” [Guardian, 14 June 2023]
This inexcusable exploitation goes alongside the penny-pinching reluctance to support those in need.
As well as these vulnerable people facing homelessness, working families also face barriers to secure housing.
“The median low-income private renter household spent 36 per cent of its income on rent in 2019-20, with some 20 per cent of this cohort spending over half their income on rent.” [ABC news, 15 June 2023]
This is obviously unfair in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet, where multiple home owners claim tax relief for their properties, forcing up house prices and allowing rents to rise uncontrolled.
Anglicare commissioned a study which found that “..major tax concessions totalling $135 billion per year were costing the budget more than the four main welfare payments — the aged pension, family assistance payments, disability benefits and Newstart — combined. “
It also found that around half the tax concessions flow to the wealthiest 20 per cent, while only $6.1 billion went to the bottom 20 per cent. [ABC News, 26 June 2018]
The rich are protected in their comfort while the poor and the indigenous are left to suffer.
The people of Australia changed our federal government and have shown their distaste for right-wing indulgence of corporations and racists by throwing out conservatives in all the mainland states and territories.
While the new federal government has chalked up many positive achievements, it has a long way to go to overcome the past years of neglect.
We must support it on its positive reforms but also criticise it where it fails to meet community expectations.
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