‘Worst we’ve seen’: Woman forced to live in tent in living room for $300 a week, inquiry told

A migrant worker’s shocking experience living in a tent in her living room has been revealed at an inquiry into Australia’s price gouging crisis.

A migrant worker was reduced to living in a tent in a short-stay accommodation living room for $300 a week amid a dire price gouging and cost-of-living crisis affecting Aussies.

The horrifying story was shared on the fifth day of a union-backed inquiry into corporate price gouging in Australia.

The Sydney inquiry has received dozens of submissions from Aussies struggling to afford basic essential foods, including one NSW resident revealing he was resorting to eating “one meal a day”.

Another, from Gosford, said his family had resorted to sacrificing their children’s after-school activities and hobbies, taking up extra shifts just to afford the grocery bill.

Thomas Costa (right), the assistant secretary for Unions NSW, said the cost of living crisis had left one migrant worker living in a tent in a living room for $300 a week due to skyrocketing rental prices. Picture: Supplied

The Inquiry into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices was commissioned by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).

It is aiming to identify the “scale of price gouging practices being deployed by large businesses and to understand the effects this is having on everyday Australians”.

Allan Fels, the former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, is overseeing the inquiry.

The inquiry heard evidence from Unions NSW assistant secretary Thomas Costa on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on migrant workers.

More than 2.5 million temporary migrant workers reside in Australia on student and holiday visas.

That figure makes up about one in 10 workers.

Mr Costa said up to 16 per cent of the temporary migrant workforce were illegally paid below the national minimum wage.

Professor Allan Fels AO (left) is overseeing the inquiry. Picture: NCA NewsWire

He spoke of one migrant worker who found rental prices were much higher than what she had been told before coming to Australia.

“She was forced to rely on short-stay accommodation,” Mr Costa said.

“In one of the short-stays she did not have a bedroom and had to pitch a tent in the living room to have some kind of privacy.

“The cost of staying in this tent, in the living room of this house, was $300 a week.”

Mr Costa said the tenancy situation for international students was the “worst” the union had seen.

More migrant workers had reported to the union they were increasingly stressed and anxious about their living arrangements, he said.

The inquiry was told many were “uncertain” if they could stay in the country.

Earlier in the day a farming expert slammed the sneaky supermarket trick allowing major food giants to pass off normal business practices as “Christmas gifts”.

Brendan O’Keeffe, an economist with NSW Farmers Association, told the inquiry on Friday that value was not spread across the supply chain.

He said supermarkets would increase their prices “straight away” during supply shortages.

Mr O’Keeffe slammed Woolworths for framing their reduced lamb prices as a ‘Christmas gift’, saying it was nothing more than a normal business practice in Australia. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

“But the opposite doesn’t happen when there’s a large increase in supply,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

“They don’t pass that on very quickly or in full.”

Mr O’Keeffe said lamb prices had been decreasing for six months but pointed to a recent announcement by Woolworths that lamb prices would be decreased as a “Christmas gift”.

“It really shows their attitude,” he said.

Professor Allan Fels AO with NSW Farmers economist Brendan O'Keeffe (right) during the Inquiry into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices. Picture: Supplied

“When a normal business practice in a competitive market, which should not be in the news … they’re allowed to position it as a Christmas gift to consumers.”

A 75 per cent plunge in mutton prices has sparked chaos in the sheep farming industry, leading to farmers drastically trying to get rid of their animals.

In submissions to the inquiry, residents have spoken about their struggle to afford basic necessities like vegetables and meat.

Of the 752 submissions, 33 per cent are from NSW.

Julie, from Paddington, said she was cutting back on grocery shopping to afford her electricity bill.

Joy, from Eastwood, said she couldn’t bring home simple treats for her kids like ice cream and had resorted to cutting back on fruits and vegetables.

During his submissions, Mr O’Keeffe said it was a struggle to obtain accurate data to measure household food budgets.

“There’s been no more data from the government on household spending since 2015-16,” he said.

“We’re in a cost-of-living crisis and we don’t have detailed information on household spending.”

The inquiry is looking into price gouging issues across major Australian supermarket providers and large businesses and to understand how Australians are being affected. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

He also spoke about the diary industry, pointing to deregulation in the 1980s that led to large growth margins.

He said farmers became “too exposed” to market forces in the 2010s, causing many to exit the industry.

This left milk production at their lowest levels since 1991.

“Prices for dairy in one quarter were up to 15 per cent increases … double what inflation was,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

“If you do have too much anti-competitive behaviour, or let supermarkets and processors go hell for leather, you get a situation where consumers benefit for a short while, but in the long term you’re decimating the industry.”

Originally published as ‘Worst we’ve seen’: Woman forced to live in tent in living room for $300 a week, inquiry told