A Rich Young Nation: The Challenge of Affluence and Poverty in Australia

2008 Social Justice Sunday Statement

A Summary

This year’s statement reflects on the Gospel story of the rich young man who asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life. The man was shocked when Jesus told him to sell all he had and follow him. He went away, unable to let go of his possessions and see and act in a different way (Mark 10: 17 -22).

The rich man had kept the Law, but he could not step out of his comfort zone and see the plight of the poor and care for them.

Like the rich man, we in Australia are challenged by the Word of God to use its wealth for the good of all, especially for those who have missed out on economic prosperity.

An Affluent Nation

In recent decades, our ideas about what affluence means have changed. Things that were seen as luxuries which only affluent families could afford have now become commonplace. Our expectations about what is needed for a satisfying life have risen. In today’s consumer society, people can often believe that, no matter how much they have, they need more. There is confusion between wants and needs. The expectation of wealth leads to feelings of deprivation – we never have all we need.

Wealth itself is not a bad thing. What is important is how we use it. Affluence does not necessarily make us happy. In our consumer society, the drive for material success has often meant overwork and increasing family pressures, increased debt and financial pressure and unsustainable use of the Earth’s resources leading to environmental damage.

The media plays its part in promoting the urge to have more. Aggressive marketing can also promote self-interest and competition for possessions at the expense of the idea that we are all in service to each other.

This promotion of self-interest can stop reforms which seek to redistribute wealth and to provide opportunities for those in need. This is seen in attitudes to taxation. In an effort to protect their quality of life, those who are relatively well off tend to seek tax cuts and financial benefits at the expense of increased funding of services which will help disadvantaged people.

Jesus calls us to build a just society and to work together to ensure poverty is eradicated and that all are able to live a full life. Those with means have a special responsibility to ensure that those who are vulnerable are clothed, housed and looked after.

Rich and Poor in an Affluent Society

Despite many years of great economic success, many Australians struggle. This is not because we lack generosity. Australians are very generous people. When people and communities are stricken by disaster, we know what is needed: food, shelter, medical help. When it comes to deep-seated poverty, however, it is less easy to see that what is also needed is a change in our attitudes and those of our society.

Australia is a society divided along lines of wealth and opportunity. In 2006, the average annual household income was $102,470. While the top 20 per cent of households had an average annual income of $225,350, the average income for the bottom 20 per cent was $22,500. The differences between the highest and lowest income earners are growing, and Australia has one of the greatest income disparities among the developed nations. According to one estimate, 4.52 million Australians live in households whose gross income is less than $400 per week.

People on low incomes have always struggled to afford housing, but now middle income families are also facing housing affordability problems because of the higher costs of housing loans. More than a quarter of Australian households rent their accommodation and are under pressure because of increasing rental costs. These increasing housing costs help to entrench poverty in communities.

In the good economic times, the Church has spoken out on behalf of those who have been left behind. The slowing of the economy has given increased urgency to its call on Australian society to address the needs of our most vulnerable citizens.

Poverty & Justice

When Jesus began his public ministry, he announced that he brought good news for the poor and freedom for the oppressed. His relationship with the poor was so intimate that he became the face of poverty.

We are all one people, each created in the image and likeness of God. The justice we render to one person is justice we render to every human being – and to Christ himself. That sense of universal relationship is at the heart of Christ’s compassion and healing – the example he gave his disciples throughout his public ministry. From the earliest days, the Christian community has tried to follow this example and promote justice for the poor.

Through this commitment to justice, seen clearly in the ministry of Jesus, we receive a strong message of hope about what God’s reign on earth can achieve in ending poverty and oppression today. The challenge to us, his followers, is to see the face of the poor and oppressed in our society and to stand with them giving voice to their plight and working for change.

The Face of Poverty

There are many different ways of defining poverty, but, broadly, poverty means lacking the means to live a fulfilling life and regularly going without essential items.

Research shows that poverty and disadvantage are concentrated in particular communities in Australia. Factors such as low incomes, unemployment and poor education entrench this problem and make it generational. In 2006, 11.1% of Australians (over 2 million) lived below the poverty line.

The fact that there are communities that have been in a state of severe disadvantage for many years is an indictment on our society and undermines the egalitarianism we hold up as a defining feature of what it means to be Australian.

Many of the causes of poverty and inequality are structural. Generally, people are not poor because they are lazy, lack ability or are unlucky, but because of the way society and its economic system are organised. People may be born into poverty or encounter a series of difficulties which make it much more likely that they will face a life of disadvantage.

Society must give a sustained response to these causes of poverty and not just to emergencies and crises like natural disasters. It is the responsibility of all of us, as a nation, to ensure that the basic conditions and opportunities exist for families to provide for themselves, to be freed from poverty traps and not to be welfare dependent.

Who Are Our Sisters and Brothers in Need?

Australia must prioritise the needs of the poor above the wants of the wealthy. We must effectively deal with:

· The dire poverty and disadvantage of Indigenous people and communities.

· The struggle of Single parent families trying to survive on low incomes.

· The plight of Refugees and asylum seekers who have to live in very unfamiliar and difficult circumstances.

· The unacceptable reality that 100000 Australians are homeless.

We are all one people, each created in the image and likeness of God.

The justice we render one person is the justice

we render to every human being – and to Christ himself.

We Renew Our Call

In 1992, Australia’s Bishops released a report on the distribution of wealth in Australia, Common Wealth for the Common Good. The report identified rising levels of poverty, unemployment and homelessness and the emergence of an under-class of gravely disadvantaged people. They called for Australia to commit itself to the common good and especially to the welfare of the most vulnerable in our society. The Bishops believe that the same problems still exist today and challenge our country to address poverty and disadvantage effectively.

What We Are Called To

As Christians we are called to recognise as our brothers and sisters those who are poor or pushed to the margins. We are called to accompany, serve and plead their cause.

In the Eucharist, we present ourselves to Jesus as sisters and brothers, not rich or poor or powerful or helpless

In a consumerist society, the message of the Eucharist is counter-cultural. Consumerism drives us on to greater material gain, but in Christ we are offered a deeper fulfilment in relationship with him and one another.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are challenged to realise our baptismal duty to recognise Christ in the shared communion of the consecrated bread and wine and in those who suffer in our world: the poor, the sick, the refugees. We gather to remember and celebrate with thanks the saving presence of Christ, who suffered and died for the liberation of all creation. We will fulfil our prophetic call if we go from our Eucharist to liberate others.

We have the opportunity to live simply and to serve the poor. Those who have wealth and gifts must seek out the poor and seek to meet their needs.

Jesus is the good news to the poor. As his followers, we are called to be the same.

Ideas for Action

Some of the ways we can serve the poor include getting involved with Church and community organisations working with disadvantaged people for justice, becoming better informed about the issues, trying to live more simply, and alerting our local Members of Parliament to the Social Justice Sunday Statement and urging them to respond to its challenges.