Mums can’t eat as bills pile up

Queensland mothers are pretending to have dinner to give their kids more in a shocking poverty crisis that is worsening due to inadequate rental assistance and growing living costs.

Queensland mothers are pretending to have already had dinner so their kids can eat in a shocking poverty crisis that is deepening due to rent assistance covering only one quarter of the actual rent bill.

More than one in five children or 212,300 of the state’s children are raised in the poorest of homes and are on the precipice of homelessness.

“Poverty affects far too many Australian children and families, diminishing their lives now and in the future. As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it’s not right that one in five children grow up in poverty. Not having enough money to cover the necessities restricts daily life and crushes hope for the future.” Anne Hodge, acting State director, Save the Children said.

Karyn Walsh, CEO of Micah Projects. Photo Steve Pohlner

“We hear shocking stories of mothers pretending they’ve eaten dinner while cooking when there’s not enough food to feed the whole family. We’ve also heard of children telling their younger siblings to drink less milk and not even telling their parents about after school activities and excursions because they know the family cannot afford them,” she said.

Over 380,000 households in Queensland are receiving inadequate Commonwealth Rent Assistance which hasn’t seen a real increase in 21 years and only covers a third or a quarter of actual rent paid.

“Raising income support above the poverty line and government investment in social housing are the keys to unlocking poverty this Anti-Poverty Week,” Karyn Walsh, chief executive of Micah Projects said.

“Children can thrive and be healthy when they have what they need to develop well. To treat all children in Australia fairly, we need to ensure every family has enough money to cover the basics and a secure roof over their head.

“The weekly asking rent for all houses in Brisbane and regional Queensland has increased exponentially during the last financial year.

Advocates say raising income support above the poverty line and investing in social housing will help Australian children get what they need.

“Even the Government’s own Treasury review concluded ‘The maximum value of Commonwealth Rent Assistance has not kept pace with market rents, especially for low-income renters,” she said.

Lindsay Wegener, executive director of PeakCare has called for Governments to unlock poverty for millions of Australians by raising income support above the poverty line and investing in social housing.

“To treat all Australian children fairly, we need to ensure every family has enough money to cover basics as well as a secure roof over their head,” he said.

Nationally, 2.65 million adults and children struggle to survive on income payments that are well below the poverty line with 940,000 children growing up in the poorest families.