Hello, brilliant-ga!
I have been working on your question on and off for several weeks. I
have tried to narrow down some figures concerning the relationship
between poverty and disability in Australia and, more specifically,
New South Wales.
While there are no *specific numbers delineating the number of
disabled people who live in poverty, there is a wealth of information
from which you can make some extrapolations. The main problem with
specific numbers are the numerous classifications of disabilities
coupled with the lack of an acceptable measure of what constitutes
poverty in Australia.
Were you to narrow your question down to one type of disability you
might get some more exact figures. As it stands now, "disability"
encompasses everything from wearing eyeglasses to being paralyzed.
Therefore, I truly hope the following information I have gathered
will help you gain an understanding of the relationship between
disability and poverty. I wrestled with posting an answer for quite a
long time. My decision came down to whether some information is better
than none. In this case, I believe I have ferreted out the most
definitive statistics available for such a broad topic.
===================
POVERTY STATISTICS
===================
Australia
=========
There is no accepted standard measure of poverty in Australia
according to a 2002 report by the Social Policy Group, titled "The
Poor in Australia: Who Are They and How Many Are There?"
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/SP/poverty.htm
"In Australia there is no official measurement of the extent of
poverty. Estimates are made from time to time by researchers in
various organisations that study social policy issues."
==
With that in mind, the following articles contain poverty statistics
compiled around various parameters.
"Measuring the Numbers of People in Poverty," by Geoff Winter.
Statistics Group. Parliament of Australia (30 May 2000)
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/1999-2000/2000rn31.htm
"With as many as one in every six or seven people in Australia living
in poverty, including over three-quarters of a million children (see
Table 1 below), the extent of poverty has become one of the continuing
concerns across Australian society generally, and occupies many
policy-makers continually. As very few people live in the kind of
poverty usually associated with some 'third-world' countries, which is
often referred to as 'absolute' poverty, the focus in Australia is on
'relative' poverty. Calculations are usually in reference to the
incomes (and to a lesser extent the assets) of various groups and
individual people in relation to their purchasing power. The income
levels below which people are considered to be in (relative) poverty
are often called 'poverty lines'. This Research Note does not try to
establish what the poverty lines are, but provides measures of the
numbers of people in (relative) poverty."
====
The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling has posted a
paper with poverty statistics for each region of Australia. The
27-page report, titled "Worlds Apart: Postcodes with the Highest and
Lowest Poverty Rates in Today's Australia," by Rachel Lloyd, Ann
Harding and Harry Greenwell (2001) can be accessed at:
http://www.natsem.canberra.edu.au/pubs/cp01/2001_005/cp2001_005.pdf
Each regional statistic is compared to Australian poverty statistics
as a whole.
===
"Financial Disadvantage in Australia -1999: The Unlucky Australians?"
by Ann Harding and Aggie Szukalska. A report commissioned by the Smith
Family (15 November 2000)
http://www.natsem.canberra.edu.au/pubs/poverty.html
Some key findings of the Report:
* Almost one in every seven Australians lives in income poverty today
(2.4 million Australians or 13.3%)
* An estimated 732,000 (14.9%) of dependent children live in poverty
in Australia
* Over 1.7 million (12.8%) of adults live in poverty
* Poor Australians live in families with low incomes relative to their
needs
* Poverty in Australia is now a phenomenon that affects primarily
those of working age
* One in five poor Australians now live in a family where wages and
salaries are the main income source, thus being a part of the growing
number of working poor
* In Australia today, having a job no longer guarantees that you and
your family will not be in poverty
* Just over one-half of all Australia's poor live in families whose
main source of income is government cash benefits
* Poverty is particularly acute among those younger and single
Australians aged less than 21 years, whose Youth Allowance payments
fall well below their poverty line
* On average the incomes of poor Australians are 43% below the poverty
line
* Children living in sole parent and larger families continue to face
high poverty risks
* Education and training ensure that young people are provided with
the skills and knowledge necessary for long-term sustainable
employment, thus reducing the risk of poverty
New South Wales
===============
According to The Council of Social Service of New South Wales:
"More than 800,000 people in New South Wales live in poverty."
http://www.ncoss.org.au/
==
"Despite an economic boom in Sydney the poverty rate in NSW has risen
from 11.1% in 1990 to 13.9% in 2000, the highest poverty rate of all
the States and Territories. The 1990s have seen a widening gap between
the incomes of the poor and the incomes of the rich, lifting the 'half
average income' poverty line."
From "Access to Justice and Legal Needs Project." Law & Justice
Foundation of New South Wales.
http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/access/bkgr4a.html#disability
===
The Henderson Poverty Line is an accepted (but often disputed) measure
of income levels associated with poverty in Australia. The 2000
figures are as follows:
Single, no children - $224.20/week
Single parent, 2 children - $357.00/week
Couple, 2 children - $467.04
Pensioner - $317/week
From "The Politics of Envy: Poverty and Income Distribution," by Helen
Hughes. Policy Vol. 17 No. 2. (Winter 2001)
http://www.cis.org.au/Policy/winter01/polwin01-3.pdf
==
A more definitive chart outlining what the Government considers
poverty level for various age groups and family size can be seen in
the chart "Poverty Line -Government Benefit Comparison" contained in
the following article:
"Poverty: The Tasmanian Experience." Anglicare. (1999)
http://www.anglicare-tas.org.au/pdfs/poverty.pdf
======================
DISABILITY STATISTICS
======================
"..one in 13 Australians or 550,000 are classified as disabled."
From "Social Welfare Reform," by Peter Botsman. The Brisbane Institute
(16 March 2000)
http://www.brisinst.org.au/resources/botsman_peter_Welfare.html
==
How many people in Australia have a disability?
In 1998, of people aged under 65:
15% (2,385,100) had a disability (i.e. they reported having one or
more of a list of ‘limitations, restrictions or impairments’). Of
these, 54% (1,283,600) were male and 46% (1,101,500) were female.
12.5% (2,048,600) had an activity restriction (i.e. were limited in
performing tasks associated with self-care, mobility, verbal
communication, schooling or employment).
4% (655,000) reported a ‘profound or severe core activity
restriction’, meaning they always or sometimes needed personal
assistance or supervision with self-care, mobility or verbal
communication.
The AIHW is developing a series of refined prevalence estimates for
several major disability groupings. Publications currently available
include, intellectual and physical disability groups, and acquired
brain injury groups.
From "Functioning and Disability FAQ's." Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare. http://www.aihw.gov.au/disability/faqs.html#s04
Statistics from Law and Justice Foundation
-------------------------------------------
* "In 1998, 3.6 million people (19% of the population) in Australia
were identified by the ABS as having a disability.
* "In 1998 in NSW, 1.2 million people (19% of the population) were
identified as having a disability. The rate of disability ranged from
4% for those 0-4 years to 83% of persons over 85. People of working
age (15-64) with a disability were less likely to be in the labour
force, with only 50% employed compared to 80% of those without a
disability. In 1998 the median gross income of people with a
disability was $190 per week, less than half that for people without a
disability."
"The ABS disability surveys are the only existing national data
containing information concerning disability. While there are a number
of limitations in the survey methodology, the following national
estimates of the prevalence of intellectual disability were derived
from the 1993 ABS Survey of Disability, Aging and Carers."
"328,000 people (1.8% of the population) had an intellectual
disability, of whom 174,000 (0.99% of the population) reported the
need for assistance with three basic living activities: self care,
mobility and verbal communication."
"1.7% of the population responded positively to the screening question
of 'slow at learning or understanding'."
"Of those reporting intellectual disability in the 1993 survey, 44%
also reported associated physical impairments or disabilities and more
than a quarter presented with speech problems, while 22% reported
associated psychiatric disabilities."
"People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to have poor
educational outcomes and thus have little knowledge of their rights,
obligations or where to seek assistance. They also have more limited
access to employment opportunities, a greater likelihood of being
dependent on income support payments, and may have a history of
multiple or inappropriate placements in care."
"About 2,350,300 Australians (13.3%) reported one or more physical
impairments in 1993. Of these, 620,400 persons (3.8% of the
population) also had a severe or profound handicap. The Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) uses these and other statistics
to estimate that the prevalence of physical disability is 11.9% of the
Australian population (2,099 600 people). NSW had a slightly lower
prevalence rate of 10.9%."
"Some people with a physical disability also have other disabling
conditions. Hearing disability was the most commonly associated
disability (27.0%), followed by psychiatric disorders (14.1%) and
acquired brain injury (13.5%)."
"In 1998, 1.2% of the population aged below 65 (200,700 people) had a
sensory disability. The most prominent sensory disability was hearing
related, which accounted for 159,900 individuals (1% of the population
under 65)."
"In 1997 the ABS conducted a National Survey of Mental Health and Well
Being to provide information on the prevalence rate of a range of
major mental disorders for Australian adults. According to the ABS,
18% of the population reported a mental disorder at some time during
the twelve months before the survey, and the prevalence of mental
disorder generally decreased with age, with young adults 18-24 having
the highest prevalence (27%), declining steadily to 6.1% of those aged
65 and over."
From "Access to Justice and Legal Needs Project." Law & Justice
Foundation of New South Wales.
http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/access/bkgr4a.html#disability
DISABILITY STATISTICS FOR NEW SOUTH WALES
=========================================
"In 1998 almost one in five people in NSW (1.2 million), or 19% of the
population had a disability. There were similar numbers of males and
females."
"At 19% the disability rate in NSW was equal to the Australian rate.
Across the States and Territories the rate varied from 13% in the
Northern Territory to 22% in South Australia and Tasmania. When rates
are age standardised, they ranged from 18% in Victoria to 22% in
Tasmania."
"The NSW regions with the highest rates of disability were the South
Eastern (25%), Central West (25%) and Hunter (25%) Statistical
Divisions (SD). These compare with 18% in Sydney (SD) and 14% in the
Northern SD. Within Sydney the highest rates were 23% in Outer Western
Sydney Statistical subdivision (SSD), Inner Western Sydney SSD and
Canterbury Bankstown SSD. The lowest rate was 11% in the Eastern
Suburbs SSD."
"In 1998, people of working age (15-64 years) with a disability had a
lower rate of labour force participation (50%) than those without a
disability (80%)."
"In 1998, 313,700 people with a disability of working age (15-64
years) were employed."
"For those who received assistance through a Commonwealth Government
open employment service outlet, and were in permanent employment, 40%
were employed full-time and 43% part-time. However, among those
assisted by supported service outlets, 64% were employed full-time and
32% part-time."
"Almost 28% of working age people with a disability were permanently
unable to work."
"The median gross weekly income of people with a disability ($190) was
less than half that of people without a disability ($390)."
"More than half (58%) of people with a disability were reliant on a
government pension or benefit as their main source of income."
From "4443.1 Disability, New South Wales." Australian Bureau of
Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/b06660592430724fca2568b5007b8619/f59fa8b95ae20d62ca256ad500063440!OpenDocument
======================
DISABILITY AND POVERTY
======================
Some meager (but hopefully helpful) statistics follow.
"For instance, it is estimated that around 62% of handicapped people
on benefits have these as their principal source of income, implying a
standard of living below or near the poverty line, and that 60% of
income units with handicapped people do not have an income earner
(compared with 23% of all income units), and that the more severe the
handicap the lower the income."
From "Health Promotion and the Disabled: Funding Issues," by Richard
Smith. Centre for Health Program Evaluation. Working Paper 62 (1997)
http://chpe.buseco.monash.edu.au/pubs/wp62.pdf
==
"More than 600,000 Australians now receive the Disability Support
Pension, and researchers in the Department of Family and Community
Services have estimated that figure would reach more than - 750,000 by
2006, if no action is taken to cut back on access."
From "Getting on the back of the disabled," by Tom Morton. The Age.
(May 17 2002)http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/05/16/1021544047813.html
1998 Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
stated that 553,336 people were receiving DSP in June 1998. In
addition, there were 90,830 recipients of the Child Disability
Allowance in June 1998.
http://www.aihw.gov.au/disability/faqs.html#s04
==
New South Wales Figures as noted above:
"Almost 28% of working age people with a disability were permanently
unable to work. The median gross weekly income of people with a
disability ($190) was less than half that of people without a
disability ($390). More than half (58%) of people with a disability
were reliant on a government pension or benefit as their main source
of income."
From "4443.1 Disability, New South Wales." Australian Bureau of
Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/b06660592430724fca2568b5007b8619/f59fa8b95ae20d62ca256ad500063440!OpenDocument
===
The Disability Employment Action Centre has compiled the following
information:
Some facts about the Disability Support Pension:
"Ten years ago, the number of people on disability income support was
around 300,000. Today, almost 600,000 people receive the Disability
Support Pension. The Federal Government estimates that numbers will
reach over three-quarters of a million by 2006;
The two most common medical conditions for people receiving the
Disability Support Pension are musculo-skeletal (just under a third)
and psychological/psychiatric (around one fifth);
Two thirds of the Disability support pension population is made up of
people aged between 45 and 65. Of this age group, about two in five
have musculo-skeletal conditions; and
Around one fifth of the Disability Support pensioners have been on
the payment for more than 10 years. The majority of recipients remain
on pension for life."
***** Only 8 per cent have income from earnings. *****
From "Disability Support Pension." Welfare Reform Submission.
Disability Employment Action Centre.
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:bkmhf5IhwvQJ:www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/d997eb3baf9fe878ca256807001352b7/3adc08adeb2b1be3ca25689b0003313d/%24FILE/232.rtf+site:.au+%2B+how+many+receive+disability+support+pension%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
================
IMPACT ON FAMILY
================
Again, there are no hard financial figures because the range and
nature of disabilities is so varied. However, the following gives some
insight:
"The strain of caring for a disabled or aged family member is enormous
and the hours never-ending, and the financial burden is a part of this
strain. Acknowledgement of the role of the carers should be emphasised
by financial assistance.
From "Inquiry in Poverty in Australia." Senate Community Affairs
References Committee.
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:8-7fUWT8L_cJ:www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/clac_ctte/poverty/submissions/sub27.doc+site:.au+%2Bdisabled+australians+poverty+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
==
"The impact on the family is an important area to be considered. The
implications of disability for the family and/or carer include
increased personal stress and physical and emotional illness, reduced
ability to care for children and undertake household tasks,
* reduced time/energy for work outside and within the home (paid and
unpaid),
reduced social contributions and interaction and a reduced status of
family in the community (stigmatisation).
From "Health Promotion and the Disabled: Funding Issues," by Richard
Smith. Centre for Health Program Evaluation. Working Paper 62 (1997)
http://chpe.buseco.monash.edu.au/pubs/wp62.pdf
==
According the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, "The main
focus of the social lives of people with disabilities is family and
friends, and it is family and friends who are the main providers of
assistance for them." "There is a continuing trend away from
institutional living for people with disabilities. In 1998, 3%
(20,100) of people aged under 65 with a profound or severe core
activity restriction were living in 'cared accommodation' and 97%
(634,600) were living in households. Of those living in households,
nearly 90% lived with relatives.
http://www.aihw.gov.au/disability/faqs.html#s04
==
The Australian Burea of Statistics has some further information:
"While about half (49%) of primary carers had not undergone any change
in their financial position because of their caring role, 49% had
experienced an adverse impact on their financial wellbeing. Reduced
income was the main effect for 22%, while 27% reported extra
expenses."
"Primary carers are more likely to be reliant on government pensions
and allowances than people who are not carers. In 1998, pensions and
allowances were the principle source of cash income for 49% of primary
carers aged 15-64 years and for 20% of 15-64 year olds not providing
care."
Also see the two chart included in the article:
"Selected Effects of Caring on Primary Carers" (1998)
"Selected Effects on Work from Providing Primary Care" (1998)
"Australian Social Trends 2001: Family - Family Services: Caring in
the community."
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/5D950DEAEF6DBEC9CA256BCD00825568?Open
=================================
Additional Sources of Information
=================================
"7. Disability Services." Australia's Welfare 1999: Services and
Assistance
http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/welfare/aw99/aw99-c07.pdf
http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/welfare/aw99/index.html
Qualifications for Disability Support Pension
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/disability_support.htm
==
Again, I truly hope this information provides some helpful statistics
for you.
All the best!
umiat-ga
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Poverty AND disability NSW |
