The Big Issue Turns 14

On a crystal clear and chilly June morning on the steps of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne fourteen years ago The Big Issue was officially launched in Australia. Graeme Wise, then Director of the Body Shop, and now patron of The Big Issue launched the initiative to a sea of cameras and journalists for national broadcast.

It was on the 12th of June in 1996 that twenty homeless people living on Melbourne’s streets were set to don The Big Issue vest and start earning an income on the streets. These vendors had been living rough for some time and had finally been given an opportunity to make a serious change in their lives.

The Big Issue team in the early days was ambitious and hopeful about sales in Melbourne based on the success of the UK model. However, stereotypes of someone who was homeless being either a drug addict or a “dero” eroded public perception, and as a result sales didn’t quite meet expectations – initially.

Over the years, The Big Issue continues to educate Australian’s about issues surrounding homelessness and marginalisation to break down those stereotypes. Gemma, the Victorian State Manager, Vendor Support says: “Everything has changed for the better, the way the organisation is run, the quality of the magazine and more people know about it … back then it was so hard to get sales.”

Another challenge that The Big Issue faced in the 90s was encouraging vendors to sell. Kirstie, who has worked in vendor support from day one in Melbourne, says: “We would go down on a bus with a packet of cigarettes and walk the line at Sacred Heart Mission to encourage the guys to sell, and put them back on the bus after dinner … things are a little different these days.”

Fourteen years later, The Big Issue has supported over 3,500 homeless and marginalised Australian’s and currently works with 350 vendors on a national scale. The Big Issue readership has now soared up over 20% to 154,000 readers (Roy Morgan Readership Survey, 2010) while circulation is 30,000 nation-wide.

With four innovative and national programs now underway, The Big Issue is a driving force behind social change in Australia, and has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1996. When asked what the biggest achievements have been along the way, Kirsty comments: “Seeing a difference in the vendors is what we are here for, that is the real accomplishment in my eyes”.