The poor always with us? Simon Moyle responds to Tony Abbott

24-02-10, by Kate Allen
Last week an Age article reported on why a government under Tony Abbott's direction would not continue with the Rudd government's goal of halving homelessness by 2020.

Simon Moyle, Urban Seed's Advocacy & Engagement Co-ordinator, has made a response to Abbott's use of a passage from Matthew's gospel in justifying his stance.

Simon Moyle's response

Tony Abbott has once again nailed his colours to the mast in a statement at a Catholic Social Services conference last week, this time with regard to homelessness.  Asked by Sacred Heart Mission Chief Executive Michael Perusco whether a Coalition government would continue the Rudd government’s commitment to halve homelessness by 2020, he replied, “No.”
He then continued, saying, ''You know everyone in the Catholic tradition is trying to build a better world, but we know this one is never going to be perfect and that doesn't stop us, doesn't excuse us from trying to do better, but it should caution us against thinking that we are going to achieve heaven on earth. It just can't be done.''

But perhaps his most controversial statement in his response to Perusco was his misuse of Matthew 26:11:

''You know politicians love to make big heroes of themselves by making these sweeping statements and yet I, who was it who said 'the poor you have with you always?' …”

Unfortunately Abbott has perpetuated a common misunderstanding of this passage.  Taken out of context it appears to be a sanctioning of things-as-they-are.  Yet it appears in the context of a story of extravagant generosity shown by a marginalised woman who anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.  When the disciples object on the grounds that such expense should have been better directed to the poor rather than Jesus, he replies, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me." Jesus is not saying that poverty will always exist, let alone justifying inaction.  Jesus is making a point about the social location of his disciples.  That is, as long as there are poor, the disciples should be found in solidarity with them.

The main problem here is the self-fulfilling prophecy that this misreading perpetuates.  Jesus says “The poor will always be with you” because it is in proximity to the poor that we learn about poverty, and its causes and effects, beyond assumptions and sweeping generalities.  We learn that it is a complex combination of issues and experiences, different for each person, and that our response must be similarly nuanced.  The irony, of course, is that when we become removed from that context we are forced to make assumptions, which due to that distance have little bearing on reality.  It also means that we read this passage in a way that perpetuates our misunderstanding of poverty. In turn, we don’t take the path of proximity to, or solidarity with, the poor - the only course which will lead to the breakdown of these assumptions.  And so the circle of misunderstanding is completed and perpetuated.

On this Abbott is correct: it will take more than government intervention to significantly reduce the incidence of homelessness in Australia.  In many ways relying on government to fix homelessness is the lazy way out.  In reality it relies on all of us stepping up to welcome, care for, and take responsibility for the marginalised in our own local communities.  There is no doubt that government can take a role in helping or hindering this process, but the responsibility lies with you and me.

Simon Moyle
Urban Seed
24 February 2010