A World of Difference: Why Some Australians Keep Getting Richer

Prior to its recent Davos meeting, the World Economic Forum identified inequality as a major threat to the global economy. In an election year, US president Obama is also heeding the loud protests about the gap between the haves and have-nots. And the issue is growing in Australia where the rich are definitely getting richer, in part due to the mining boom. Other reasons include the decline in manufacturing, increasing numbers of single parent and solo households, labour market changes, and uneven redistribution through taxes and benefits. Peter Whiteford, director of the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, urges policymakers to shift focus from income growth to inequality.