Basic health care is often out of reach for millions of Australians still living in poverty
Poverty and ill health are frequent companions. This is relatively easy to establish in poor societies where the living standards of people are so low that the problems of ill health “can be laid fairly directly at the door of poverty”.1 However, the evidence linking low income to poor health is also accumulating in wealthy nations, including Australia.2
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1 Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.
- 2 Australian Council of Social Service, Sydney, NSW.
- 1. Marmot M. Status syndrome. How your social standing directly affects your health and life expectancy. London: Bloomsbury, 2004.
- 2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s health 2006. Canberra: AIHW, 2006. (AIHW Cat. No. AUS 73.)
- 3. Australian Council of Social Service. Fair dental care for low income earners. ACOSS Info Paper 389. Sydney: ACOSS, 2006.
- 4. Senate Community Affairs References Committee. A hand up not a hand out: renewing the fight against poverty. Report on poverty and financial hardship. Canberra: Department of the Senate, 2004.
- 5. Australia Fair. A fair go for all Australians: international comparisons, 2007. Sydney: Australian Council of Social Service, 2007.
- 6. Saunders P, Hill P, Bradbury B. Poverty in Australia; sensitivity analysis and trends. Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre, 2007.
- 7. Saunders P. Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage Project. Identifying the essentials of life. SPRC Newsletter 2006; 94 (Nov): 9-12.
- 8. Palmer G, MacInnes T, Kenway P. Monitoring poverty and social exclusion in the UK 2006. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2006.