ANTI-Poverty Week and the Southern Highlands might seem to be contradictory terms to people who associate the area with weekend getaways for well-heeled city dwellers, palatial homes, and pricey boutique shopping.
This image doesn’t represent most Wingecarribee residents.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average income in Wingecarribee is $891.86 a week, compared to the national average of $1197.
And there are many pensioners and self-funded retirees earning much less, not to mention the single-parent families and unemployed.
According to the Highlands Community Centre, 135 people in the Highlands became homeless in the past year.
From July 2008 to July 2009, the centres provided emergency relief such as food vouchers, chemist vouchers, assistance with fares or a hot meal to 1088 residents, including 137 who were seeking help for the first time.
Unfortunately many politicians and public servants have fallen for the glossy image of the Southern Highlands.
Former transport minister Michael Costa’s 2004 remark about” stockbroker mates of the Opposition who live in Bowral”, using the train only “to get them to and from their million-dollar weekend retreats” is the best-remembered example.
This impression works against Wingecarribee when it comes to funding being allocated for social and community services in the area.
Hopefully, Anti-Poverty Week will not only help break down the stigma surrounding poverty - one that can be keenly felt in areas such as the Southern Highlands - but open the eyes of the bureaucracy to the real need of many in the area.