Big Ideas

Anne Summers and the inside story of a winning campaign — pulling single parents out of poverty

09.14.2023 - By ABC listenPlay

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On the same day as her historic misogyny speech, Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard introduced a policy that would plunge tens of thousands of single parents into poverty. It had significant consequences for single mothers. 

Single parents whose children turned eight no longer had access to the single parent payment, a move many experts believe increased child poverty.

But in May, that law was reformed, bumping up payment cut-off to 14. 

Join influential feminist campaigners, including Anne Summers, as they reveal the inside story behind that reform: what worked, what didn't, and what other campaigners could learn from their methods.

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