24 March –The Difference, a magazine to help Australia’s richest make a difference to its poorest, has been launched in Melbourne by Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year.
The magazine is a report card of poverty indicators – disadvantage, poverty and exclusion in Australia – underpinned by the research of Access Economics.
“Sadly the research shows we are becoming less inclusive as a society,” editor and social entrepreneur Nic Bolto said. “We are going backwards on a number of indicators including public housing waiting lists, homelessness, child abuse and neglect, rates of reimprisonment, suicide and credit default. Clearly government alone cannot fix the problems — responsibility lies with us all.
“The Difference introduces you to the real people (not actors) behind the statistics, and projects that will have an immediate impact on their lives”.
The projects are led by not for profits like Youth Projects and Maroodah Halfway House,
“Our goal is to bring the issues, the people and solutions together in one place providing a clear action plan for how you can help. Ultimately the indicators need to measurably change,” Mr Bolto said.
Mr Bolto is also chief executive officer of Ostara Australia, a national provider of disability employment services and programs and president of Chapter Seven the magazine’s publisher.