The Australian branch of the Salvation Army has recently conducted research, which reveals that tens of thousands of Australians are struggling to afford basic necessities due to the high cost of living. The study surveyed 1,700 individuals who used the charity’s services within the past year. Results stated that 93 percent of the respondents lacked money to pay for daily necessities once they had paid for housing, food, utilities, health, and fuel. Specifically, a typical respondent was left with less than $6 (US$4) a day to cover other expenses. Furthermore, half of those surveyed could not afford essential healthcare services, 52 percent had to skip meals, and three in four experienced housing stress. The Salvation Army has called upon Australians to donate to help those in need during this difficult economic time. The organization aims to raise $37 million with its Red Shield Appeal program to fund over 2,000 services across Australia.
The research also highlighted that households with children were the most impacted by the cost of living crisis. Around 75 percent of these households lived under the poverty line, while 25 percent could not afford healthcare and dental services for their children. One woman, who couldn’t afford food expenses, lost 40 kilograms in the past nine months, just trying to keep a roof over her children’s heads. The Salvation Army stressed that the need for donations is now greater than ever, to help those who have fallen through the cracks.
Additionally, the Australian government’s proposal for a new biosecurity tax on farmers came amid increased living costs. It was announced in the 2023-2024 budget that all domestic agricultural, fisheries, and forestry producers would have to pay a 10 percent levy to fund a new biosecurity system. This new tax will lead to many farmers paying extra fees, and ultimately resulting in increased food prices. The National Farmers’ Federation criticized the government for adding more burden on farmers, without finding solutions to food price inflation. Similarly, the National Party leader, David Littleproud, claims that the new farmer tax would lead to more Australians facing hunger, and it challenges the logic for the federal government to tax Australian farmers to pay for the biosecurity costs of its international competitors to import their products.