A Call to Justice: Every Child’s Right to Flourish

Australia likes to imagine itself as a land of opportunity, a country where every child can grow, learn, and thrive. But two major reports published in November tell a different story. Child Poverty in Australia 2025 (Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre) and The State of Australia’s Children 2025 (UNICEF Australia and ARACY) reveal a nation failing its youngest citizens, not because we lack resources, but because we lack resolve. 

The Reality for Australia’s Children 

More than one in six Australian children—950,000—will live in poverty this year. This is inconsistent and incongruous with Australia’s status as one of the wealthiest countries in the world.  

The 2025 Child Poverty Report shows the sharp rise: 236,000 more children in poverty since 2021, with single-parent families hardest hit. Meanwhile, UNICEF and ARACY paint a broader picture: developmental vulnerability is climbing, mental health distress among young people is rising, and suicide remains the leading cause of death for those aged 15–24. These aren’t isolated problems, they’re symptoms of systems that fail to protect children’s rights. 

What We Choose Defines Us  

Australia has the means to end child poverty. During COVID, temporary income supplements cut poverty rates dramatically. The Child Poverty Report calculates that reinstating those supports would cost $9.7 billion a year, less than the fuel tax credits handed to mining companies. 

This is what the evidence tells us: poverty isn’t about bad luck; it’s about policy choices. And choices can change. 

What It Takes To Make Change  

Both reports point to solutions we already know work: 

• A National Children’s Act to coordinate systems and embed accountability. 

• Housing reform to tackle affordability and invest in homelessness services. 

• Culturally safe, community-led services, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. 

• Indexation of income support to wages, not CPI. 

• Legislated child poverty targets with transparent reporting. 

These aren’t radical ideas, they’re evidence-based measures that other nations have implemented successfully. 

Why Acting Early Matters 

When we fail to act, the consequences ripple far beyond household budgets. Poverty in childhood shapes health, education, and life chances for decades. The State of Australia’s Children Report estimates that investing in social and emotional skills in schools could return $22 billion in lifetime earnings gains—a reminder that prevention is not only compassionate, it’s smart policy.  

But this isn’t just about numbers or budgets. At Marist180, we believe every child carries an inherent dignity that cannot be diminished by circumstance. Poverty is not simply an economic condition, it is a breach of that dignity. A rights-based approach demands that we stop treating child wellbeing as charity and start treating it as justice. 

Supporting the wellbeing of children, young people, and families is not about generosity. It is about solidarity. It is about building a nation where success is measured not by wealth concentrated in a few hands, but by the flourishing of every child. 

Australia has the resources. What we need is the will.