media releases

“The announcement that unemployment benefits will increase just $25 a week, leaving 1.6 million Australians living in poverty, is a sad testament to the hypocrisy of the federal government”, said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society. “Poverty kills, but it only kills the poor.”

“Commendably, this same government has made the COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone, and particularly to the most vulnerable,” said Dr Woodruff. “It has listened to the medical and scientific advice in outlining a rollout for COVID-19 vaccine which prioritises the most vulnerable in our community. It will provide free vaccines for everyone living on Australian soil, including refugees and asylum seekers – even those in detention.”

“But the JobSeeker payment announcement indicates that this government has little interest in the conditions necessary for good health for less privileged Australians. The poor suffer more ill health and die younger than the wealthy. These sad facts are ignored by the Federal Government.”

“One has to ask whether the Federal Government’s approach to vaccination equity is driven entirely by the self-interest of those in power”, said Dr Woodruff.

When underprivileged people may be vectors of a disease that may spread to the privileged, prevention targets the most vulnerable. But when economic pain disproportionately afflicts underprivileged people, our government’s commitment to equity evaporates. Instead of targeting these people to help, they target them to punish them for being unemployed and destine them to greater ill health.

Inequity is a health threat just as real as COVID-19, but our government perpetuates the former while acting on the latter. But the wealthy and powerful don’t believe they will be affected by inequity, they believe they can always afford high quality care and don’t care about the poor”

“What a difference it would make if our Government gave preference across the whole spectrum of health care to those who are the most vulnerable in our community: the poor, the disadvantaged, the real strugglers. Then we might all be in it together, realising the promise of the words ‘One and Free’.”