Ending Poverty is Cheaper than Keeping It

By Mark Gaetani, National President of the St Vincent de Paul Society

This article was first published on EurekaStreet.com.au on 13 November 2025

This appalling figure in one of the world’s wealthiest countries forces the question: why does poverty persist in a social democracy built on “a fair go”? What does this reveal about our social contract and our willingness to tackle the roots of disadvantage, particularly as the language of “cost-of-living pressures” stifles the moral urgency to take collective action against poverty?

When English author Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843, social upheaval and grinding poverty were rife. The St Vincent de Paul Society was barely a decade old and still years away from starting in Australia. Having read a harrowing government report on child labour in the UK, Dickens was not just penning a festive tale of redemption; he was sounding a call to compassion amid the stark poverty and social injustice of Victorian England. He portrayed poverty as a societal failure, not a personal flaw, challenging the prevailing attitudes that blamed the poor for their plight.

Through the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge, Dickens demonstrated that kindness, generosity and community responsibility are the true measures of a life well lived.

Nearly two centuries later, the same message rings true. Poverty is deepening in Australia, and it is up to policymakers, and those of us above the line, to ensure it doesn’t become the new normal for even more families...

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