Who pays the price for a society divided? – Rosalie Rendu Forum 2023

“We still have parts of Sydney and regional NSW where there are poverty rates for kids up around 40%. That is a shocking and astounding figure when we know that the lifetime impacts of growing up in poverty are real and that the life chances of these kids are going to be seriously curtailed because of that experience.”

“There is a need to move away from the continual deficit model of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander funding but also the approaches to our education, housing, health and wellbeing. [We need] to recognise Aboriginal ways of knowing and being, and develop place-based, strength-based approaches that encourage a strong sense of cultural identity and a sense of belonging.”

“The demonisation of the poor continues to this day in how we talk about poverty. The homeless are homeless, let’s be clear about it, because there are not enough safe, accessible, affordable homes built to accommodate all of us in all our income brackets. The poor are also poor because the income support system is not fit for purpose and purposely keeps payment below the poverty line.”

“In our society a lack of money means a lack of power; and the life experience of those facing disadvantage is often one that constantly reiterates to them that they do not have the agency to create change. Inequality forces disengagement and disengagement leads to social isolation. Social isolation worsens education outcomes and so the cycle continues.”