THE AGE http://www.theage.com.au/news/20000215/A18402-2000Feb14.html New `overclass' out of touch: welfare group By DARREN GRAY CANBERRA Tuesday 15 February 2000 An "overclass" of people who earned massive six-figure salaries, owned numerous properties and were out of touch with the rest of society was emerging in Australia, a leading welfare group said yesterday. The president of the Australian Council of Social Service, Mr Michael Raper, said the term "overclass" was a new and undefined term but applied to people whose incomes and lifestyle meant they did not share common experiences with those on low incomes and the unemployed. "They no longer ride public transport; they certainly don't rent properties - they rent out properties instead; they don't have any trouble paying their bills; they holiday elsewhere or in resorts; they live in areas that have high employment," he said. "The essential ingredient is that they are largely decision-makers as well. They are in positions in the public sector and in the private sector where their income and experience is just very different to those for whom they are making decisions," he told The Age. The so-called Australian "overclass" included senior managers in large corporations, chief executives - some of whom were given multi-million-dollar payouts when they departed - and professionals in the investment and information-technology sector, Mr Raper said. In addition, the "over-class" did not attend public schools. However, he did not include politicians in this category. Mr Raper was speaking after the launch of ACOSS's 2000-2001 federal Budget submission at Parliament. The ACOSS submission called for a $3.3billion spending boost next financial year on social services and welfare payments. It called for a $693 million boost to employment, education and training, a $300million increase in public-housing spending and a $19.90 a week increase in dole payments for unemployed single people. Mr Raper said the emerging "overclass", which was now larger than at any other time, had the ability to expand and protect its wealth via investments, negative gearing and the establishment of family trusts to minimise tax. Many in the overclass did not know how much better off they were than most, he said. "Single or individual income earners over $100,000 (a year) are really in the rarefied atmosphere and don't realise it," he said. ACOSS also warned yesterday that Australia risked growing social problems, including rising crime and suicide rates, if it failed to address the growing gap between the rich and poor. Despite apparently rosy national economic indicators, Mr Raper said the benefits from economic restructuring were not being shared evenly in the community. ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
