“What gets measured, gets managed.”

It’s a familiar saying in government and business. But when it comes to poverty, Australia has a significant blind spot.

Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest countries, Australia still lacks an official national poverty measure, making it hard to track whether efforts to reduce disadvantage are working.

“Official measures are the critical first step in supporting governments and decision-makers to best address poverty in Australia,” said Travers McLeod, executive director of the Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL).

The renewed push to address this gap follows former High Court justice Michael Kirby’s warning that poverty is eroding Australia’s democracy...

Almost 160 countries have already adopted official poverty measures, whether monetary, multidimensional or both, while Australia has yet to adopt either type.

Let's hope they get on with this quick.

https://thepoint.com.au/new/261110-australia-in-the-minority-of-countries-without-official-poverty-measure-as-experts-push-for-change