Miner on six-figure salary struggles as cost-of-living soars

A Queenslander on a six-figure salary has revealed why he needs to use services to access his pay before payday.

An Australian father-of-four earning a six-figure salary has found himself living paycheck to paycheck as the cost of living bites.

Stephen Te Pohe, who works as a boiler maker at the Mount Isa Mines in Queensland, is one of the growing number of Aussies using services to access their pay before payday.

Mr Te Pohe cares for his father-in-law and sometimes needs to make the long journey to Brisbane or Cairns for medical appointments — a journey that has become incredibly expensive due to the rising cost of petrol.

Stephen Te Pohe said he was extremely grateful to be able to access his pay before payday to help cover petrol costs while caring for his father-in-law. Picture: Supplied

“It’s very expensive to drive anywhere … financially it’s almost the same as flying,” he told news.com.au about living in the remote city.

“That’s only for one person. I have four young boys and a partner so there’s six of us travelling.

“For us to fly out of Mount Isa, for six people, we’re getting up around the $3000-$3500 mark.

“Driving at just under a $1000 worth of fuel is more cost-effective than flying, even though they’re both incredibly dear.”

Stephen Te Pohe has four kids, meaning its cheaper to drive than fly out of Mt Isa but it’s still incredibly expensive. Picture: Supplied

Mr Te Pohe said rising inflation affecting household costs was taking its toll like it was for many Aussies.

“Everything else is going up but my pay rate’s not,” he said.

Paytime, a platform which plugs into payroll so employees can access a portion of their pay before payday, has experienced a 600 per cent increase in interest since the start of the year.

The company’s chief executive Steven Furman said the most popular industries for staff seeking access to their wages included mining, retail, hospitality and manufacturing.

“Many high income earners are still living month-to-month – if they have an unexpected emergency that month they may not have the funds to pay for it,” Mr Furman said.

He said that people using the service believed they shouldn’t have wait for a set payday to get their hands on money they had already worked and earned.

“People are finding that being able to access their pay when they want to helps them budget better,” he said.

“With the increase in cost of living there is a need for people to access money more regularly – without going into debt.”