Cost of living Qld: Two-thirds struggling, subsidies set to expire

Two-thirds of Queenslanders are struggling to pay their bills, and the situation will only get worse after the looming state election.

Queensland Council of Social Service CEO Aimee McVeigh

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A staggering two-thirds of Queenslanders are still struggling to pay their bills, put food on the table or send their children to school due to relentless cost-of-living pressures, with poverty rates expected to skyrocket across the state once government rebates run dry.

A new survey by the Queensland Council of Social Service has found 94 per cent of the state is worried about cost of living, with weekly budgets blowing out for nearly all types of households due to unaffordable housing, grocery, energy and petrol costs.

An average family, classified as a couple with two children, are currently $116 over budget each week, an improvement from $198 last year, while a single parent is $156 in the red each week compared with $255 in 2023.

Only senior couples and students had budget surplus – a student making it over the line by just $2.

While conditions have greatly improved for households due to the state government’s cost-of-living cash splash, including the $1000 energy bill rebates, 50c fares and 20 per cent registration discounts, QCOSS has warned living conditions will quickly worsen when subsidies run dry after the October election.

QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh said the most concerning feedback was parents not sending their children to school due to their inability to afford fuel, pointing to existing high poverty levels.

“Concessions that have been built into household budget, yes they are making a difference, but the bottom line is the lives of those children haven’t changed, they haven’t been lifted out of poverty,” she said.

“A single mum raising children is currently in a weekly budget position of a $150 deficit per week.

“Imagine how much worse that will be when all of the supports are gone, she will have a deficit of more than $180 per week.

“The federal government needs to fairly distribute the wealth to make sure people aren’t living in poverty.”

Just over 1000 Queenslanders from both regional and metropolitan areas were surveyed on how their spending habits had changed over the past year.

A dismal 6 per cent said they were not concerned about making ends meet, while 44 per cent reported maximum concern over cost of living.

The remaining 50 per cent of respondents were somewhere between moderately and fairly concerned about cost of living.

The largest budget adjustment was for housing, with two-thirds of Queenslanders increasing spending on their rent, mortgage or insurance payments.

Energy and food spending also shot up over 60 per cent, and fuel another 58 per cent.

Food stress was also prevalent, with parents continuing to forgo meals so their children could eat.

Children were now also less likely to participate in recreational activities due to tighter family budgets, the survey finding that 47 per cent of families had reduced spending in this area.

Originally published as Cost of living Qld: Two-thirds struggling, subsidies set to expire