New Minimum Income for Healthy Living Budget Standards for Low-Paid and Unemployed Australians: summary report

Abstract

The project was funded by the Australian Research Council under Linkage Project grant LP120200481, with additional cash and in-kind support provided by Catholic Social Services, Australia; United Voice (National Office); and the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS). A budget standard indicates how much income a particular family living in a particular place at a particular time needs to achieve a particular standard of living. It is derived by specifying every item that is needed by the family, pricing each item and summing to produce the overall budget. The aim of this study is to review and refine the earlier SPRC estimates to produce a new set of budget standards for low-paid and unemployed families that are relevant to contemporary Australian conditions.