ABSTRACT
337While the advocates of globalisation have argued that increased free trade and economic restructuring are good for people, there is mounting evidence that Australia is becoming a more unequal society. In this chapter, we review this evidence. We begin by analysing some of the ways people talk about inequality, especially in terms of the distribution of income and wealth. We then focus on the problem of defining and measuring income inequality. We examine some research on economic inequality and ask whether income inequality in Australia has become worse in recent years. There is also concern about an increase in poverty, with some research suggesting that the incidence has doubled since 1975.
