One in five Australian private renters are living without two or more essential items, according to a new joint study released by peak body the Australian Council of Social Service and the University of New South Wales. Source: ABC News.
The study also found that of those Australians renting, 22 per cent are living below the poverty line, as the nation’s dual housing affordability and cost of living crises continues.
For those Australians who are renting social housing, that number is more than 50 per cent, the study found.
The report showed that a number of renters are at risk of material deprivation, along with several Australian groups on welfare payments, including JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, the parenting payment, and the disability support pension.
The group also includes sole parent families and First Nations people as struggling significantly with multiple material deprivation.
Chief executive of ACOSS Cassandra Goldie told the ABC’s 7.30 program the report painted “a very grim picture in terms of deprivation for large numbers of people on low incomes across the country”.
“What this report shines a light on is that people are going without the basic essentials of life,” Dr Goldie said.
“Things like food, housing, medical attention when you need it, being able to get your teeth fixed.
“We’re [also] very worried about the rates of evictions all over the country with rents going up, people in the private rental market, if you’re on JobSeeker, there is literally nowhere that’s affordable for you to live.”
A report published last week showed that renters in Sydney and Perth were on average spending more than 30 per cent of their income towards rent.
Dr Goldie said Australians on welfare were among the most at risk.
She called on the Albanese Government to do more to fix issues related to wealth inequality.
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One in five Australian renters are living without essential items and in poverty, peak body study finds (By Paul Johnson, ABC News)
