Tamara's story: How could we measure poverty better?
Tamara Rhodes shares her lived experience of poverty and how we could measure poverty better in Australia.
Unless you've lived in my shoes, you don't know the struggles.
Tamara Rhodes
Tamara faces tough decisions each day: “Sometimes I have to choose between paying rent or doing a full grocery shop. If a family member is sick, it’s a struggle to find a GP that bulk bills. In many ways you have to plan to be sick to get in to see one.”
When Tamara came across a BSL program in regional Victoria, it changed the course of her life. The mother of two described the 6-week program, designed to empower women living in rural communities, as simply “life changing”.
“It built my confidence and opened up so many opportunities I never dreamt possible.” Today, Tamara is a tenacious advocate for those living with mental illness and experiencing disadvantage. She has supported BSL as an advocate for Australia to adopt official poverty measures.
To mark 50 years since the Henderson review into poverty in Australia, Tamara flew to Canberra — her first visit to the nation’s capital. It’s here that she shared her expertise, directly with decision makers: politicians, community sector and business leaders, senior department officials and Federal Social Services Minister, Tanya Plibersek.
At this event, and in the media Tamara declares a simple home truth: when the policy-making process reflects real lives, challenges and expectations of people living in poverty — numbers and statistics suddenly have meaning, and solutions make a greater impact.
In her interview with ABC journalist Dan Ziffer she disclosed, "When I do a grocery shop, I put everything that I need into the trolley in the hope that when I get to the register, I'm able to afford it.
“I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to afford what's left in it and sometimes experiencing the embarrassment and the shame of having to remove items out of the trolley that I can no longer afford."
Tamara is motivated to break the cycle of entrenched disadvantage for her two daughters, “Feeling like you’re failing your children, it’s gut wrenching”. She also doesn’t want others to feel the stigma, isolation, and shame that she does.
“We’re essentially a wealthy country compared to some, and some of our residents are doing it really tough.”
Despite still facing financial and social exclusion, Tamara’s new skills in public speaking have allowed her to advocate for things she cares about deeply.
Watch Tamara’s full interview on ABC TV’s The Business ‘How Australia’s falling short on poverty’
Click here to watch the full package on ABC TV
Watch Tamara speak alongside lived experience advocate Jo Evans, Dr Nicole Bieske, (BSL Director of Research, Policy and Advocacy) and Dr Melek Cigdem-Bayram, (Ronald Henderson Senior Research Fellow at BSL and Melbourne Institute) facilitated by BSL’s Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, Zeah Behrend