Jillian Marchant

Australian definition of poverty

[Extract] At first glance, Australia appears a wealthy developed country, and consequently an unlikely place to find poverty. Nevertheless, both researchers and policymakers have engaged with understanding social stratification in Australia since the mid-1800s. Presently, despite sophisticated advances in survey methods, no agreement has been reached on a definitive technique to either measure or fully comprehend poverty in Australia. However, it is possible to outline historical measures and consider some of the more current approaches that influence the illustration of poverty in Australia.