TONIGHT: Talking About Poverty with Rick Morton and Fiona Moore (online)
People in poverty are getting organised ahead of the 2025 federal election.
The Antipoverty Centre is co-hosting a series of events and actions alongside the Anti-Poverty Network Queensland, the Anti-Poverty Network South Australia, the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union and Nobody Deserves Poverty throughout 2025, with the next scheduled for 7:30pm AEDT tonight (Monday 17 March). Information about other upcoming events is included below.
All community members are invited to attend, and media are welcome to join the event until the formal part of the agenda concludes. This event is free for all. Registration is required.
Panellists will share issues and insights related to how the media covers welfare, the role of professional welfare advocates and why poor people must be the leading voices on policies that affect our lives. We will hear from people who are changing the way people perceive poverty through their advocacy and discuss changes in public attitudes towards welfare recipients.
When
Monday 17 March, 7:30pm AEDT / 7pm ACDT / 6:30pm AEST / 4:30pm AWST
Speakers
- Caspian Bahramshahi-Willett, Anti-Poverty Network Queensland
- Maiy Azize, Anglicare Australia and Everybody’s Home
- Rick Morton, author and journalist
- Fiona Moore, Nobody Deserves Poverty
- Kristin O’Connell, Antipoverty Centre
Agenda
7:30 Welcome to the People Against Poverty Summit – Caspian Bahramshahi-Willett
7:40 Opening remarks – Maiy Azize
7:45 Presentations: How professional advocates and the media dehumanise people in poverty – Kristin O’Connell; How journalistic practices perpetuate harm and how to unlearn bad habits – Rick Morton; How people in poverty build communicate to each other, our allies and our detractors – Fiona Moore.
8:00 Panel discussion and questions from attendees.
8:30 Formal part of the event concludes.
8:35 Opportunity for attendees to discuss themes, topics and questions raised.
8:55 Informal portion of event concludes.
Upcoming events
March • 5 year anniversary of the government showing it can end poverty
Thursday 20 March 2025 marks 5 years since the Morrison government raised income support by $275 per week. Overnight, the JobSeeker payment was lifted to the poverty line. Millions of lives were transformed for the better until all additional support was ripped away by April 2021.
Also on 20 March 2025, legislated indexation rates take effect, meaning Jobseeker will “increase” by a paltry $1.55 per week. People on the payment are still $220 a week below the poverty line 5 years after a glimpse of hope.
Welfare activists and advocates will hold a press conference at Parliament House on Thursday 20 March to mark this anniversary. Welfare recipients and supporters who would like to attend can register here: events.humanitix.com/covid-supplement-anniversary-parliament-house
This will be followed by an online event, What did the COVID supplement mean for welfare recipients, then and now on the evening of Monday 24 March. Register here: events.humanitix.com/covid-supplement-mean-then-and-now
June • People Against Poverty Summit
Tonight’s event is the first in a series of online sessions leading up to the June 2025 People Against Poverty Summit, to be held in Magan-djin/Brisbane. The program will include talks, practical workshops and social events related to issues affecting people in poverty and how to mobilise our communities. We’re also hoping to cover costs for people on low incomes to attend. Find out more about the Summit and how you can participate here: linktr.ee/peopleagainstpoverty