Socialist slams 'poverty state'
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — "Why is Queensland, the state which Premier Wayne Goss and Treasurer Keith De Lacy always boast is the best managed economy in the nation, the leader in poverty?", asked Democratic Socialist candidate Zanny Begg, in a statement released on June 17.
Begg is running for the Democratic Socialist campaign in the seat of Brisbane Central in the state elections.
"It is simply a scandal that such a wealthy state should have the highest percentage of its people living below the poverty line."
She was commenting on a new Queensland Council of Social Service report which shows some 350,000 residents of the state, or 18% of the population, live below the official poverty line. This compares to 16% for the national average.
"While state expenditure on tackling the key issue of poverty is well below the national level, the Goss government spends well above the national average on financial assistance to big business", Begg added.
"The government's recent cuts in stamp duty on shares, and its refusal to fund substantial increased capital works and public sector programs, show that it is truly ruling for the corporate sector, not the working people and the disadvantaged.
"The Democratic Socialist campaign stands for a major increase in funding for job-creation programs, for schools, hospitals, public transport, recreation facilities and so on, to tackle the question of poverty at its base."
For more information on the Democratic Socialist Campaign, contact 29 Terrace Street, New Farm 4005, or phone (07) 254 0565.