Fifty years on from Henderson, Australia urged to adopt official poverty measures

The Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) is calling for the Federal Government to establish official poverty measures, marking the 50th anniversary of the Henderson Inquiry into Poverty with an event at Parliament House.  

The event, which attracted community and business leaders, parliamentarians from all sides, and senior officials from across the Australian Public Service, included speeches from the Hon. Tanya Plibersek and Prof. Sabina Alkire, among others. 

Despite increased focus on cost of living and inequality, Australia remains one of the few countries in the world without official national poverty measures. Over 150 countries, including Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, already have official measures in place and report on them regularly. 

The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee established by the Federal Government has recommended Australia adopt official poverty measures – a monetary and multidimensional measure – to better guide national understanding of poverty and efforts to reduce it. 

“Fifty years on, we have the tools and the data. What we need now is action,” said Dr Travers McLeod, Executive Director of BSL. “This is a chance to align with international best practice and show we are serious about tackling poverty in all its forms. Australia’s economic compass is incomplete without official poverty measures.” 

To support this goal, BSL and the Melbourne Institute have worked together to demonstrate the value of a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Australia. Using the internationally recognised framework led by Professor Sabina Alkire and Professor James Foster, an MPI captures the multiple, overlapping challenges that shape poverty, such as health, housing, education, and employment. 

Following yesterday’s event, Travers McLeod said: “We were encouraged by the support for developing official poverty measures for Australia and we look forward to continuing our work towards this. 

“Measuring income is important but doesn’t tell the whole story. A multidimensional approach provides deeper insight into what people face day-to-day, where policy and investment can make the biggest difference, and helps to guide smarter, more targeted responses.”