Op-Ed Response: "Hard to Stomach"
Adjunct Professor Tony Pietropiccolo AM has penned a powerful response to The West Australian’s front-page article, “Hard to Stomach”, which highlights the escalating economic hardship faced by Australian families.
“Putting food on the table for children has become a problem that few would have thought possible in a wealthy country such as ours,” Tony writes, stressing that child poverty isn’t just about hunger—it affects brain development, education, self-esteem, and a child’s entire future.
Research commissioned by the Valuing Children Initiative, from Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, reveals that 15.2% of WA children will live in poverty by 2024, a number that continues to rise. Despite increasing investment in school breakfast programs and emergency food relief, charity alone cannot solve child poverty.
Tony emphasizes that Australia has successfully reduced child poverty before—during Bob Hawke’s government, rates fell from 14% to 8% in just six years. Other nations, like New Zealand, have introduced legislative solutions, so why not Australia?
We must ask: When is it ever OK to leave a child in poverty? The answer is clear—never.
Take Action:
Together, we can make child poverty history in Australia.
