As of 1 July 2023, the National minimum weekly wage in Australia is $882.80 per week.

The MAXIMUM amount received by a person living with permanent disability can claim from the Disability Pension sits at $550 per week - obviously far below minimum wage and sitting on or below the poverty line. This is not taking the current cost of living into account, as again these statistics are taken from July 2023.

People living with disability, who cannot work by no fault of their own, should not have to struggle in poverty as a result of something outside of their control. We suffer enough living with disability itself. Plain and simple - this is discrimination.

The national dialogue right now is centered around violence against women - and women with disability are twice as likely to experience abuse compared to able-bodied women. If the government really cares about women’s safety, they need to begin here, where women are most vulnerable and the least likely to be able to escape violence because they simply do not have the means financially. We need to act now.