Australians were worried about growing poverty across the country and the impact on young people trying to get into a home, even before the recent surge in inflation and the fallout from the war against Iran, a nationwide report has revealed.
Compiled for the Brotherhood of St Laurence and based on a survey of more than 2600 people, the research found three-quarters of those quizzed had been affected by cost-of-living pressures over the past two years with 27 per cent experiencing “persistent stress or anxiety”.
Charities have reported a steep increase in the number of people using their services over the past three years. People who have previously never used charities, such as those with mortgages, have been forced to get assistance to survive the cost squeeze caused by high interest rates and inflation.
The Reserve Bank is expected to deliver a third interest rate rise by the middle of the year while inflation, due to high oil prices, is now expected to reach at least 5 per cent by June.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence research found 82 per cent of respondents agreed it was important to support those in poverty during a cost-of-living crisis, while three-in-five said easing cost pressures on the nation’s poorest will help ease price pressures on all Australians.
More than half of those questioned said government was responsible for reducing poverty, with four-in-five believing affordable housing should be prioritised to ease cost-of-living pressures. Sixty per cent said governments should boost the chance of people finding a job to help alleviate poverty.
Brotherhood of St Laurence’s (BSL) executive director Travers McLeod said the survey showed that the perception of poverty was changing as more people were facing extreme cost-of-living pressures.
He said those pressures were broadening with younger people unable to get into the property market and older Australians at particular risk of falling into poverty.
“I think there’s a recognition that the human face of poverty is changing. There are more essential workers, single parents, older people,” he told this masthead.
“People also understand that poverty is more that just about income. It includes housing, it includes health services, social cohesion and safety.”
Official measures of inequality suggest there has been only a minor increase over the past decade.
But the survey showed 75 per cent of people believed the nation is becoming more unequal with a growing gap between haves and have-nots.
More than half believed inequality was now affecting the state of Australian democracy. A quarter of respondents agreed that poverty is being driven by “decisions made by large corporations and businesses”.
McLeod said it was clear most Australians did not want their fellow citizens to experience poverty, with 70 per cent of those surveyed saying that just because someone was struggling to afford daily basics did not mean they were lazy.
“People should be able to eat healthily, have a secure roof over their heads, access to education and job opportunities. Unfortunately, despite Australia’s wealth, that simply isn’t the case,” he said.
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Shane Wright is a senior economics correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.