Recent research published by the Melbourne Institute shows that more than two million Australians fell below the poverty line in 2015. They stuck below the poverty line despite decades of strong economic growth.
While the dominant narrative in developed countries is that the issue of poverty is a temporary phase that does not last long, but the research reveals that poverty persistence amongst the most disadvantaged Australians is much higher than previously thought.
The research shows that poverty alleviation record in Australia has not been very good because only less than 15 percent of the most disadvantaged people in Australia get out of poverty from one year to the next.
The findings of the research are based on concrete and long term surveys designed to be representative of the entire population.
The research was described as a unique opportunity to understand the circumstances and extent of poverty amongst the most disadvantaged groups in Australian society.
The poor have always been particularly difficult to survey, let alone follow through time. As a result, they are likely to be under-represented in general surveys used to study poverty but the current research did it best to fix the flaws of previous research.
There is evidence that among chronically disadvantaged people, the chances of poverty becoming an enduring feature of life, are much higher than previously thought. If people are trapped below the poverty line for long periods of time, the sort of help needed to get them out of poverty is likely to be quite different than when the experience of poverty is transitory.
The research has offered some suggestions for assisting the most vulnerable members of the community.
