Rural poverty |
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| Authors: | Margaret Alston |
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| Institution: | 1. Centre for Rural Social Research , Charles Stun University;2. Centre for Rural Social Research , Charles Stun University;3. First National Rural Women's Forum at Parliament House , Canberra;4. National Women's Advisory Group overseeing the Rural Women's Policy Unit, Department of Primary Industries and Energy , Canberra;5. Family Services Council, Attorney General's Department , Canberra |
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| Abstract: | Abstract This paper examines rural poverty indicators arguing that governments have failed to provide the equitable access to resources needed to empower rural people to address their poverty. The paper illustrates how the decline in the fortunes of agriculture has led to a rapid disintegration of rural communities and to human rights concerns in relation to rural people. On quality of life indicators such as health and education, rural people are seriously disad-vantaged by comparison with urban Australians. Yet, the failure of governments to develop integrated rural policy frameworks that deliver equitable resources and their reliance on market forces is leading to the destruction of rural communities. For social workers, the challenge is to provide advocacy and policy leadership. |
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| Keywords: | enforcement-based research |
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