A Fairer Australia–2022 Federal Election statement

The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council has released its Federal Election 2022 statement, calling for A Fairer Australia.

The Society’s 60,000 members and volunteers, and over 3,000 employees, help thousands of Australians each year by providing emergency relief, housing and other support services.

A Fairer Australia is informed by our members’ experiences in meeting with and helping others. It covers five key policy areas that would help address widening inequality in households and communities and lift many people out of poverty.

The five key policy areas are: 

• Poverty and Inequity
• Housing and Homelessness
• People Seeking Asylum
• Secure Work
• First Nations

There is also an ancillary paper, A Fairer Tax and Welfare System for Australia, developed for the Society by the Australian National University (ANU).

The reality is Australia is a wealthy country but has a shortage of affordable housing, growing inequity, increasingly insecure work and stagnant wages. Households that rely on income support are struggling to survive.

One-in-six children are living in poverty and great disadvantage persists, especially in regional and remote communities.

The next generation of Australians will inherit an unprecedented budget deficit.

Now, more than ever, government policy and fiscal management need to be robust, evidence-based and directed to areas of greatest need.

Report card

Our report card outlines how each of the policies from the major parties stack-up against A Fairer Australia. 

Read the report card.

Election material

• Listen to National Council videos on A Fairer Australia, covering people seeking asylum, First Nations People, housing and homelessness, job security and poverty and inequity.
• Read our brochure for a summary of A Fairer Australia.
• Read our booklet for more information on each of our policy asks.
• Read our policy papers for in-depth information on poverty and inequity, housing and homelessness and people seeking asylum.
• Read ANU’s Centre for Social Research & Method’s Research Note, A Fairer Tax and Welfare System in Australia.
• Refer to our source documents on First Nations People, housing and homelessness, income support and job security for further information on the Society’s policy positions and references.
• Refer to our tips for members for help with contacting local candidates and forwarding information to National Council.

Contact us

Please send federal election candidate feedback on A Fairer Australia to SVDPFEDELECT@svdp.org.au