Trends in child poverty in Australia, 1982 to 1995-96

This study suggests that child poverty in Australia fell by about one-third between 1982 and 1995-96, largely as a result of the very substantial incr eases in government cash payments to lower income families with children. H owever, while there were sharp falls in poverty among dependent children, p overty rates among 15 to 18 year-olds who had left the parental home or who were still living at home but not in full-time study increased very sharpl y. In addition, the after-housing poverty picture did nor look so optimisti c, apparently due to a compositional shift in the types of families in afte r-housing poverty.