Poverty Undermine Social Rights In Australia

In Australia poverty cannot undermine social rights technically as there is no document within Australian law that claims any such rights for Australian Citizens. Nor is there any federal definition of poverty. However, as Australia is part of certain ethical organisations (such as the UN) by imposing those well-articulated details of social rights onto the Australian nation we are able to assess whether poverty has a detrimental or undermining effect on these rights. According to oxford dictionary right define as “a moral or legal entitlement to have or do something (Oxford dictionaries 2016). Although, Australia is characterised as a welfare state, it does not guarantee that welfare as a right for everyone. For instance, there is no Australian

Instead, poverty research in Australia uses metrics and indexes provided by organisations such as the UN and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD’s definition of poverty is earning less than 50% of the median household income (OECD reference). The latest data — for 2013–14 — shows that the median gross household income in Australia is $80,704, with the average household sitting at $107,276. This is extremely high, indicating that Australia overall is a very wealthy nation; however, if we use the OECD definition, this puts the Australian poverty line is a gross household income of $40,000 — twice the minimum cost of living. This is a poor working definition of poverty. However, the Australian Council of Social Service found in 2010, that an estimated 12.5% of Australians live in absolute (Davidson, P, 2012) with limited or no access to basic necessities as defined by the UN.

Social rights are inseparable from economic and cultural rights — let alone human rights. So what is the difference? “Social rights”, more or less, are human rights provided by or insured by a civic form of governance. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) defines social rights as: (United Nations)

■ Right to

Absolute poverty is a lack of basic necessities such as sustenance and shelter. Relative poverty is defined a person’s social context and status in that society. Thus relative poverty can mean many different things depending on the social context. Australia also has neither a relative nor absolute official poverty line. Therefore poverty research in Australia uses metrics and indexes provided by organizations such as the UN or OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The UN defines absolute poverty, extreme poverty, or abject poverty as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services." OECD’s definition of relative poverty is 50% of the median household income. The latest release shows that the median gross household income in 2013–14 was $80,704, and the average of all households was $107,276. This is extremely high, putting the relative poverty line at $40k, which is twice the minimum cost of living. (Study in Australia) Obviously this is a poor definition of poverty. However the Australian Council of Social Service found that an estimated 12.5% of Australians live in absolute (Davidson, P, 2012) Thus, poverty is a state of lacking social rights. Poverty cannot coexist with social rights by