The latest report from Unicef Australia reveals that 10.9 per cent of our children are living in poverty.
Unicef Australia chief executive Norman Gillespie said that this figure is concerning considering we are thought to have survived the global economic tough times.
"Australia is in the fortunate position to have weathered the global financial crisis well," he said in a statement on May 29.
"We have not seen the same crises unfold that have crippled many European economies and yet 10.9 per cent of Australian children are living below the poverty line."
According to Unicef, below the poverty line is defined as those who are living in families that earn less than half the average disposable household income.
The report, called Measuring Child Poverty, also takes into account factors including regular daily meals and the availability of an internet connection and other educational resources.
Data is collected from countries worldwide, not only Australia. It seems we could learn something from the Netherlands and Nordic nations, as they have the lowest statistics for child poverty. United States and Romania, on the other hand, are at the higher end of the spectrum.
Director of Unicef's office of research Gordon Alexander said the onus needs to fall on the leading bodies.
"The report makes it clear that some governments are doing much better at tackling child deprivation than others," he said.
"Failure to protect children from today's economic crisis is one of the most costly mistakes a society can make."
These findings come after a Salvation Army (SA) survey earlier this month revealed that a large proportion of disadvantaged Australians were also struggling to afford the bare essentials.
In the lead up to the charity organisation's Red Shield Appeal, SA found that over 50 per cent of their clients had gone without regular meals and 36 per cent could not afford to pay for some of their children's schooling requirements.
"We are seeing large numbers of families - including working mums and dads - who just cannot make ends meet," Major Bruce Harmer said on May 16.
It was also revealed that 33 per cent could not afford heating, 37 per cent were finding it hard to pay for prescribed medication and 41 per cent did not have enough space for children over ten to have their own room.
Next week (June 4 and 5), the federal government will be asked questions by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
"This is a critical moment for Australia's children," asserted Unicef's Mr Gillespie.
