Social Services Minister Anne Ruston will address a major conference in Canberra today, and she is expected to discuss some of Australia’s most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges.
Senator Ruston has resisted calls to increase the rate of Newstart, which is approximately $277 a week.
The conference has been set up by the sector’s peak body, the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS).
ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie said many people attending the conference will have been directly impacted by harsh government policies, and may be “currently struggling to get by from below the poverty line”.