Policy Forum Pod

Compared to its OECD peers, Australia has an above-average poverty rate, and couples this with rising rates of homelessness, an increasingly casualised workforce, and dole rates so low that a chorus of voices from across the political spectrum are calling for an increase in Newstart payment.But has the country really got the measure of poverty rates and their impacts? What’s life really like on the breadline? And what policies do we need to ensure a social welfare system that protects the most vulnerable in society? This week on Policy Forum Pod a brilliant panel - Nicole Wiggins, Dr John Falzon, and Professor Matthew Gray - tackle these questions and more.Pod presenters Professor Sharon Bessell and Martyn Pearce also discuss Australia’s Anti-Poverty Week, Australia’s Women of Influence, whether writing to MPs is an effective way of changing policy, and last week’s Great Green Debate live event.Professor Matthew Gray is Director of the Centre for Social Research and Methods at The Australian National Universi