Letter Re: Concerns about the recently announced Economic Inclusion Committee 2022

I am writing to express our concerns about announcements made regarding the proposed
composition of the Economic Inclusion Committee, and to urge you to engage meaningfully with our recommendations. In your statement of 28 November you said, “The Committee will include social security academic experts, representatives from key relevant advocacy organisations, unions, business peak bodies, the philanthropic sector and economists.”

We are deeply frustrated that this approach is setting us up to repeat the failures of the past.
While these organisations have a role to play in increasing economic inclusion, they are not experts
in the needs of those of us suffering the consequences of existing social policies that leave us
behind.

Who you choose to consult and who you choose to listen to matters. Time and again governments
have ignored what people who are economically excluded – the real experts – have to say. Advice
to government about people in poverty must come directly from people in poverty, not those
who speak over and for us. We should be viewed and treated as equals, not subordinate “lived
experience” objects.

You can read the letter in full below and read our related media release here.