People in the western suburbs are feeling the pinch

Many people across the state are doing it tough thanks to cost of living pressures, with some forced into bankruptcy. See how your area stacks up in our searchable table.

There are plenty of people across the state doing it tough thanks to cost of living pressures, with some forced into bankruptcy

Victorians have been doing it tough during the cost of living crisis, with personal bankruptcies surging during the June quarter.

Wyndham in Melbourne’s west had the highest number of bankruptcies in the state, with 37 people declared insolvent in the past three months.

The data, collected by the Australian Financial Security Authority, showed that the industries people most commonly worked in when they were declared bankrupt were construction, health care and social assistance and retail trade.

In the June quarter Greater Melbourne had 356 bankruptcies, and there were another 135 in the regional areas.

Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) said Wyndham had a poverty rate of 16.1 per cent, with 43,600 people living below the poverty line.

Its interim chief executive officer Juanita Pope said rising living costs were pushing Victorians “to the brink”.

“Not being able to pay the rent, buy decent food or visit the doctor is increasingly common,” she said.

“Unfortunately it’s no surprise Wyndham is a hotspot for personal bankruptcies because Wyndham has one of the highest poverty rates in Victoria.

“Personal bankruptcies underline the need to strengthen our social safety net.

“Our response must include building more public and community housing, and raising the rate of JobSeeker, to help those in most need.”

Geelong and Bendigo led the regional bankruptcy figures with 20 and 16 respectively for the quarter.

In Frankston there were 24, and on the nearby Mornington Peninsula there were 14.

The financial pain reflects a national trend, with 2705 new personal insolvencies in the three-month period nationally – up 17 per cent from June 2022.

The data shows personal insolvencies increased in all states and territories, except for South Australia and Western Australia where numbers remained steady.