The Lowest Rung: Voices of Australian Poverty

by Mark Peel

Overview

This original account of the impact of growing economic inequality upon the poorest segments of Australian society lets those most harshly affected by poverty reveal their fears, hopes and dilemmas. It is largely based on the author's conversations with hundreds of individuals living in three areas commonly described as "disadvantaged" in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521830621
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/24/2003
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Mark Peel is the author of Good Times, Hard Times and of A Little History of Australia. He teaches history at Monash University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: journeys; 1. Describing disadvantage; 2. Heroes; 3. Suffering; 4. Anger; 5. Loss; 6. Hope; Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

'Peel provides a welcome contrast to the drier statistical debates over poverty lines and relative poverty. He succeeds in taking us through a range of emotions that the experience of disadvantage generates.' Dr Alastair Greig, Australian National University

'This is an important and refreshing approach to poverty in Australia. It offers a new and lively perspective on a much-researched topic, and one that breaks out of the narrow social policy focus of the bulk of this literature.' Professor Stephen Garton, University of Sydney

From the Publisher