Anglicare Australia has released the Cost of Living Index, an analysis that compares the incomes against essential living costs such as rent, food and transport.
The report shows that the average person receiving the JobSeeker payment has a shortfall of $135 a week on the basic cost of food, housing and transport, leaving no ability to budget for energy bills or unexpected costs, such as medical bills. In a country as wealthy as ours, it is unacceptable that people receiving income support payments remain unable to afford the basics, and we continue to call on the Federal Government to urgently raise the rate of JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and related payments.
In addition, the Index shows that:
- A family of four with two parents on payments can’t afford essentials, falling short by $17 a week
- A single parent on the Parenting Payment has just $24 left, or $3 per day
- A person on JobSeeker living in a sharehouse has just $127 left after essential weekly expenses, or $18 per day. They could not afford to move out of shared accommodation.
- Housing is the biggest living cost facing households, with average rents rising by more than 50% since 2020. All calculations include the highest rates of Commonwealth Rent Assistance.