Shocking figures have exposed the depth of pain being felt by Aussies amid the cost-of-living crisis, as more and more people seek financial assistance while struggling to make ends meet.
Annual data from the St Vincent de Paul Society has revealed a 40 per cent rise in calls for assistance or support all over the country in the past year.
Seventeen per cent of Aussies surveyed said they would be cutting back on Christmas spending, looking at op shops for presents.
“The Christmas period is one of celebrating and joy; however, this isn’t the reality for many Australians,” St Vincent de Paul Society national president Mark Gaetani said.
“Currently, there are 761,000 children whose families lack adequate food and struggle to pay essential household bills.”
Another 27 per cent said they were not in “the same financial position” as last year, while 33 per cent said financial pressures were crippling their Christmas budget.
“Across Australia, the St Vincent de Paul Society have noticed a concerning trend among the increasing number of people seeking assistance in that they are people who we would broadly consider to have security in their quality of living,” a St Vincent de Paul spokesman said. “They are seeing people in full-time employment and households on dual incomes turn to our members for assistance because of financial pressures from essentials that they cannot do without.
“People cannot cut back on having a roof over their head, feeding their children or paying for utilities.
“They are seeing instances where, to be able to cover an increase in rent, families are turning to the society in order to put food on the table.”
The grim figures come amid a precarious combination of rate rises from the Reserve Bank and rising food costs.
This month, the cash rate was lifted to a 12-year high of 4.35 per cent.
It was the 13th rate hike since November 2022.
Markets are already preparing for another potential rise to 4.6 per cent by June next year.
However, inflationary pressures appeared to have eased, with Australia’s annual inflation rate down to 4.9 per cent in October.
State-by-state, NSW had an 18 per cent increase in people seeking assistance over the past year, according to St Vincent de Paul’s new figures.
In Queensland, calls for general need jumped 15 per cent overall.
“Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of all our companions supported in the last year had not previously asked for help,” the figures state.
St Vincent de Paul staff in Victoria experienced an 18.4 per cent increase in the amount of assistance provided to people coming to the organisation.
Tasmania had a 40 per cent increase in complex cases and 67 per cent rise in cases managed by case co-ordinators.