Nearly one in three Australians are struggling to buy food for their family according to a new study.

Key Points

• 43 per cent of people were surveyed by Act for Kids are struggling to afford health care for their family.
• “Australians tend to think of child poverty as an issue for developing countries overseas but it’s happening right here on our doorstep,” Dr Lines said.
• The survey was conducted ahead of Anti-Poverty Week, which this year runs from October 13 to 19.

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The charity Act for Kids, which provides crucial relief for families, has conducted a survey of nearly 1,000 people to gauge how parents and children are faring in the cost-of-living crisis.

The study found that 43 per cent of people were struggling to afford health care for their family.

And 30 per cent of parents were struggling to provide food for their kids.

“These current cost-of-living pressures are compounding the issues families are already facing,” Act for Kids CEO Dr Katrina Lines said.

“Our staff provide food vouchers to families in need, and we have seen our spend on food vouchers increase by 12 per cent over the last two years.”

43 per cent of people were surveyed by Act for Kids are struggling to afford health care for their family.

Homegrown crisis

The survey also found that nearly one in three people were struggling to pay their rent or mortgage, while another 30 per cent were having difficulty paying for their children’s educational needs.

Those needs include fees, uniforms, excursions, stationery and books.

Meanwhile, nearly 30 per cent found it difficult to pay for the cost of having internet access at home.

And 40 per cent of those surveyed were finding it tough to pay for their children’s sporting activities and hobbies.

“Australians tend to think of child poverty as an issue for developing countries overseas,” Dr Lines said.

“But it’s happening right here on our doorstep and it’s impacting on the safety, health and well-being of children and young people.”

Dr Lines also reports that as part of Act for Kids’ crucial role in helping those living in poverty, the organisation purchases items such as furniture and clothing, and that during the cost-of-living crisis “expenditure on these items for families in need has increased by 14 per cent.”

“Australians tend to think of child poverty as an issue for developing countries overseas but it’s happening right here on our doorstep,” Dr Lines said.

Millions in poverty

The survey was conducted ahead of Anti-Poverty Week, which this year runs from October 13 to 19.

The week also coincides with the United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Thursday, October 17.

This year, Anti-Poverty Week is focusing on child poverty, which affects one in every six children in Australia according to a report by the Australian Council of Social Service and the University of New South Wales.

The Poverty in Australia 2023 report found that there are more than 3.32 million people living below the poverty line (earning 50 per cent of the median household income, relative to a single person, a couple or a family).

This includes 761,000 children.

Dr Lines said that for children, living in poverty can have wide-ranging implications.

“Every child deserves to grow up in a safe home where they feel protected, but when families are pushed to breaking point financially, it makes it harder for parents to be emotionally available for their kids,” Dr Lines said.

The survey was conducted ahead of Anti-Poverty Week, which this year runs from October 13 to 19.

“End child poverty”

As part of Anti-Poverty Week, Act for Kids is calling on all Australians to join a new campaign called End Child Poverty.

It involves signing a petition, addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, that calls for legislation to end child poverty, and include children as a priority in the “Measuring What Matters” national well-being framework.

(Measuring What Matters is Australia’s first “well-being framework” that tracks the nation’s progress towards a “more healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous Australia,” a government statement read.)

It was one of Mr Albanese’s heroes and mentors, the late Bob Hawke, who famously pledged in 1987 to end child poverty in Australia while he was Prime Minister.

“Raise the rate”

Anti-Poverty Week organisers are also pushing the federal government to “Raise the Rate” of Centrelink payments, such as JobSeeker and Youth Allowance, so people are not “forced to make decisions between paying their rent or buying enough food.”

“We’re deeply concerned that the strain on families caused by the cost-of-living crisis will have long-term impacts on children’s well-being,” Dr Lines said.

“Evidence strongly shows that children living in poverty face a greater risk of poor developmental outcomes in later childhood, weaker cognitive and social development and lower overall health.”

For more information on Anti-Poverty Week visit here.

To sign the petition to end child poverty visit here.

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Feature image: Header photo by CanvaPro, post it images supplied by Anti-Poverty Week and used with permission.

Article supplied by Michael Crooks. Michael is a senior journalist and former news editor of Who magazine. His work has appeared in People, Marie Claire, The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, news.com.au, Qantas magazine and more.