Social security rate structure
This graph shows the structure of social security payments in 2017-18, the year of the income survey on which the data in this website is based. These are not current payment rates. [infogram id="_/VA3mJ1gLA6e2gv0KkMNE" prefix="4Ah" format="interactive" title="Social security rate structure, maximum rates of payment for different family types with no private income ($ per week)"]
Poverty in Australia 2020: Part 2, Who is affected?
Download Poverty in Australia 2020: Part 2, Who is affected?
Profile of poverty by gender of household reference person
This graph shows the household types of people in poverty by gender of household reference person.[infogram id="_/DlwN0JIb3HlQ8OgYIcri" prefix="Cwe" format="interactive" title="Fig A2: Profile of poverty by gender of household reference person, 50% median income poverty line"] It shows that shows that among people in poverty in older single-person households (65 years and over), women greatly outnumber men (comprising 6% of all people in poverty when the 50% of median income poverty line is used, and 8% using the 60% median income poverty line; compared with 3% who are older single men - 4% using the 60% median income poverty line). However, among people in poverty in older couple households, more are found in households with a male main earner (comprising 6% of all people in poverty according to the 50% median income poverty line and 7% according to the 60% median income poverty line, compared with 2% in older couple households with a female main earner according to both poverty…
Rate of poverty by gender of household reference person (% of all people)
This graph shows the rate of poverty according to the gender of the household reference person by household type.[infogram id="_/0v0XLUr2FLIpHKZdoFDv" prefix="Jvp" format="interactive" title="Figure A1: Rate of poverty by gender of household reference person (% of men and women), 50% median income poverty line"] It shows that the rate of poverty in sole parent families where the main earner is female is 37% using the 50% median income poverty line, and 50% using the 60% median income poverty line. This is over twice that of sole parent families where the main earner is male (at 18% using the 50% median income poverty line and 21% using the 60% median income poverty line). It also shows that couple-with-children households where the main earner is female have a rate of poverty far higher than those in which the main earner is male (16% female and 10% male according to the 50% median income poverty line; and 21% female and 16% male according to the 60% median income poverty line). The…
Comparison of poverty lines with pension and Newstart (now JobSeeker) payments for singles and couples without children (in $2017-18 per annum)
[infogram id="_/Z6uPcuCsRqxPeqAgNifT" prefix="jSE" format="interactive" title="Comparison of poverty lines with pension and Newstart payments for singles and couples without children"] Social security policies clearly have an impact on poverty, for better or for worse. Because most major income support payments are below the poverty line, in order to escape poverty people need to supplement or replace them with private income from other sources. This graph compares trends in maximum pension and Newstart Allowance rates and poverty lines from 1999-00 to 2017-2018. It shows that while Newstart Allowance for singles was consistently well below the poverty line, it was above the line for couples up until 2004. This reflects an historical legacy: unlike payments for singles, unemployment payments for couples were tied to the pension rate until 1998. In contrast, pension rates for both singles and couples have closely tracked poverty lines. One reason for this is that pensions are indexed…
