Three wishes.
In a fairy-tale, a magical figure appears and offers to grant you three wishes. The wishes that spring to mind may be extraordinary ones - I wish for a pair of wings so I can fly, I wish for peace in the world, I wish for a pot of gold that never runs out. What would you wish for?
A wish is a hope or desire for something. It comes from the heart.
Here are the wishes of a Tasmanian pensioner we spoke with recently as part of our research on The Price of Poverty:
I would like to be able to save between $10 and $15 a week.
I would like someone to help me with the shopping.
I would like to be able to afford the electricity I need.
Three small wishes.
There are thousands of Tasmanians with wishes just as small, just as reasonable. They say they would like to be able to provide their family with healthy meals. They would like to be able to heat their homes properly. They would like a safe place to call home.
Every one of us needs basics like food, water, shelter, warmth and connection with others. It’s part of being human.
These kinds of wishes are too small for fairy-tales and legends.
Ask your elected representatives what they are doing to ensure no-one misses out on essentials.
Join us in calling for:
- The Australian Government to urgently increase income support payments to allow for an acceptable standard of living. More information and a letter you can send to your Member of Parliament can be found here.
- The State Government to run the public housing system as a core government service.
- The State Government to provide appropriate funding to implement the Tasmanian Food Security strategy.
- A national policy framework to be created to deliver essential phone and internet services at a reasonable price.
- A ‘social tariff’ to be put in place to ensure adequate amounts of electricity at a price that does not impose hardship.