Poverty and disadvantage in the ACT cannot be effectively reduced without accurate data – Anti-Poverty Week 2026

ACTCOSS and Vinnies warn that poverty and disadvantage cannot be effectively reduced without accurate data on how many people are affected and where need is concentrated.

In 2026, the proportion of Canberrans living in poverty is estimated to be at its highest level since 2001, according to the Australian Council of Social Service. However, we do not know the precise number because Australia has no official measure of poverty.

“Canberrans are struggling with the cost of living. They are skipping meals and going without heating and cooling in their homes. These are hidden signs of poverty that we don’t always share with friends and neighbours,” said Jenny Sandilands, acting co-CEO of ACTCOSS.

An estimated one in seven Canberrans live in poverty and one in every six children.

In a paper released during Anti-Poverty Week, ACTCOSS and Vinnies ACT/Goulburn outline recommendations for better measuring poverty in the ACT, and steps the federal and ACT Government could take to reduce disadvantage.

“We are calling on the federal government to establish standard measures for adult and child poverty,” Ms Sandilands said. “And to raise the rate of welfare payments so no one is forced to live with persistent disadvantage. Poverty is a political choice. We want every Canberran to be able to make the most of the opportunities and quality of life available here in the ACT.”

ACTCOSS and Vinnies also calls on the ACT Government to use the tools it already has available, including publicly reporting on the ACT Wellbeing Framework indicators, to help better understand areas of need and service gaps.

“At Vinnies, we’re seeing more people seek help for the first time, including working families who never imagined they would need support. Poverty doesn’t always look the way people expect, and financial hardship can affect anyone when housing costs, groceries, utilities and other everyday expenses continue to rise.” said St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn CEO, Lucy Hohnen.

“Without an official measure, poverty remains too easy to overlook. What gets measured gets acknowledged, and what gets acknowledged is far more likely to be addressed. A national measure would help us understand the scale of hardship, track progress and ensure support reaches the people who need it most.”

Around the world, 156 countries have official poverty measures that help to guide policies that support people doing it tough. Australia should follow suit. With official measures, governments can have a means to track and realise the extent of poverty in each jurisdiction and develop policy solutions that seek to address the causes or reduce them.
“Behind every statistic is a person, a family and a story. By listening to people with lived experience and taking practical action, we can create a future where everyone has the opportunity to live with dignity and participate fully in their community.”

Nobody in Canberra should be living in poverty. ACTCOSS and Vinnies stand ready to work with the ACT Government to make this a reality.

Read the papers here: Anti-Poverty Week 2026 Towards an ACT free from poverty

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This anti-poverty week we make the following recommendations:

We urge the Commonwealth Government:

1. To establish standard measures for adult and child poverty and introduce targets to reduce them. The Commonwealth has committed to ‘measuring what matters’, it’s time that poverty was included.
2. Raise the rate of working-age social security payments to at least $82 per day to meet those poverty lines, because nobody deserves to live in poverty.

We urge the ACT Government:

1. To commit to publicly report on the ACT Wellbeing Framework indicators annually to support government and the community to better understand wellbeing in the ACT and address service gaps.
2. To work with the community sector to systematically shift investment from acute services to early intervention, especially with respect to child wellbeing and development services

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ACTCOSS advocates for social justice in the ACT and represents not-for-profit community organisations. Follow us @ACTCOSS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

For more information or comment, please contact
Jenny Sandilands, Acting CEO, ACTCOSS, on 0474 554 429.

Authorised by Jenny Sandilands on behalf of the
ACT Council of Social Service Inc (ACTCOSS)

ACTCOSS advocates for social justice in the ACT and represents not-for-profit community organisations. Our vision is for a thriving ACT, free from exclusion, hardship and poverty.

Follow us @ACTCOSS on Facebook and Instagram.