The Salvation Army today issued an urgent warning that Australia’s cost of living crisis is spiralling into an emergency for the nation’s most marginalised people, with a new report revealing nearly one in five people surveyed saying they had eaten from bins and three in five saying they had eaten expired or spoiled food in the past 12 months.
The new report surveyed 4,400 Australians seeking emergency relief support from The Salvation Army and revealed widespread food insecurity and severe financial distress, with 91 per cent saying they skipped meals in the past 12 months and 32 per cent saying this happened daily.
The report also found 35 per cent said they survived on only one meal a day and 67 per cent said they watered down food or drinks to make them last longer.
One community member who received support from The Salvation Army said, ‘We starve, it’s that simple. We drink water because it fills us up. We walk a bit to take our minds off this horrible life we are in, and we beg whoever we can for help.’
Desperate stuff
Another community member simply said they ‘go without food, find thrown-out food, look in bins’ in order to survive.
Children are increasingly bearing the brunt of the crisis, with 35 per cent of parents saying their children had gone to school hungry and almost 6 in 10 households with school-aged children saying kids had missed school because families could not afford transport costs in the past 12 months.
‘It is deeply confronting to see so many people across our community pushed to such desperate levels of hardship, where parents are skipping meals, children are going to school hungry and people are eating spoiled food or even eating from bins simply to survive,’ says Major Bruce Harmer from The Salvation Army.
‘No one in Australia should be forced to choose between heating their home, feeding their children or buying medication, yet this is the reality facing more and more people every single day.’
Energy poverty
The report highlighted widespread ‘energy poverty’, with 84 per cent of respondents going to bed early to keep warm, 63 per cent living in darkness, relying on candles and torches, and almost half using public places such as shopping centres or public bathrooms to avoid using electricity at home.
Medical care is also increasingly out of reach, with over half unable to afford to see a doctor, dentist or optometrist, 46 per cent unable to afford prescription medication and one quarter relying on hospital emergency departments instead of visiting a GP.
Another mum who received support from the Salvos said, ‘We never have enough food. We buy what is cheap and rely on help and food banks. I am very careful about our electricity use. My oldest son has been making do this year with only one school shirt. We put water in dish soap, shampoo, cleaning products, and other items to stretch them.
‘We rarely buy milk, but when we do, we add water to make it last longer. We don’t spend money on clothing. We often fill prescriptions late or don’t take them daily to stretch them out further.’
Further findings
- 82 per cent said they had gone an entire day without eating in the past year.
- 87 per cent said they avoided using heating or cooling over the past year due to cost pressures.
- 77 per cent said they had been unable to properly heat or cool their home in the past year.
- 90 per cent have experienced being unable to afford public transport or fuel for their car.
The Salvation Army is calling on Australians to support its vital work, with demand for assistance continuing to rise across homelessness, emergency relief, financial hardship, family violence, youth services and community meals. The Salvos’ Red Shield Appeal is aiming to raise $41 million to support those doing it tough across the nation.
‘Our report surveyed thousands of people who reached out to the Salvos for emergency relief support, with 90 per cent saying they would not have managed financially without the help they received,’ Major Harmer added.
‘But the need is growing rapidly and we cannot do this alone. Right now, your support can help provide food, financial assistance, safe shelter and hope to Australians doing it incredibly tough.’
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