A charity organisation has found that tens of thousands of Australians are experiencing food insecurity and cannot afford basic items amid high living cost pressures.
According to new research by the Australian branch of the Salvation Army, which studied 1,700 people using the charity’s services in the past 12 months, 93 percent of the respondents lacked money to pay for daily necessities.
Specifically, it found that after paying for housing, food, utilities, health, and fuel, a typical respondent was left with less than $6 (US$4) a day to cover other expenses.
In addition, half of the people surveyed could not afford essential healthcare services, 52 percent had to skip meals, and three in four were under housing stress….