Miles, Crisafulli urged by St Vinnies, Anglicare to dig deep for those struggling to secure affordable housing

Queenslanders will save just $1.70 a week under newly announced cost-of-living measures, prompting demands for leaders to splash more cash to ease the extraordinary pressures on household budgets.

Queenslanders will save just $1.70 a week under newly announced cost-of-living measures, prompting demands for leaders to splash more cash to ease the extraordinary pressures on household budgets.

Since Steven Miles ascended to state leader, the government has frozen car registration and public transport costs, which combines to an average annual savings of $87 for Brisbane residents – or just $1.70 a week, less than a can of soft drink.

Charities and support services say it’s not enough, with St Vinnies Queensland alone seeing an 11 per cent surge in demand for support from Brisbane residents compared to last year, a 13 per cent spike on the Gold Coast and a whopping 30 per cent increase in Toowoomba.

St Vinnies Queensland chief Kevin Mercer said the organisation has “heard countless stories from struggling Queenslanders faced with choosing between paying rent or feeding their family – but cannot afford both”.

The Courier-Mail has invited both Premier Steven Miles and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli to debate the cost-of-living crisis on March 12 to give readers an insight into which leader they believe will address the critical issue ahead of the October state election.

Both leaders were urged by St Vinnies and Anglicare to dig deep and provide greater support for those struggling to secure affordable housing.

“We want to hear from our state leaders about what measures they would take to ensure low-income Queenslanders can maintain a basic standard of living amid growing costs of rent, food and utilities, rising costs of education and severely reduced access to affordable housing,” Mr Mercer said.

Figures provided exclusively to The Courier-Mail show 262,336 people went to St Vinnies for help in Queensland in the past year, compared to 235,561 the previous year – an increase across the state of 11.3 per cent.

Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Picture: John Gass

More than 80,000 people sought help from the charity in Brisbane alone.

Mr Mercer applauded the state government for the creation of its long-term Homes for Queenslanders plan, but urged both leaders to provide immediate support for those struggling to secure affordable housing.

Billions of dollars has been splashed in recent years by the state government to provide cost of living relief, including energy bill rebates and free kindy.

The Premier has pledged for this year’s budget to be “all about the cost of living” as the state government insists last year’s spend on concessions was the highest in the nation.

Treasurer Cameron Dick said the car registration and transport concessions were in addition to previously announced measures such as the doubling of the first homeowners grant, the $550 electricity bill rebate and the boost for pensioners and concession cardholders who get a total energy rebate of up to $1072.

Queensland Council of Social Service chief Aimee McVeigh. Picture: Richard Walker

The government also said the kindy scheme provides a saving for a family with a four-year-old at a C&K facility $4600 a year.

Mr Dick refused to reveal if the government would be committing to further handouts but said: “We will be looking again at progressive coal royalties to fund more cost-of-living relief in the upcoming budget.”

Support services stress more is needed in this year’s budget given living costs have further squeezed households.

Working Queensland families are falling $200 into debt each week just to afford the bare essentials, according to a recent report from the Queensland Council of Social Service.

Analysis of five key demographics shows the extent of the crisis, with single parents being forced to find more than $11 each week in 2023 compared to two years earlier.

Families with two parents are spending nearly $50 a week more, a student’s expenditure on basic essentials has increased by $150 and a senior couple’s expenses have gone up by $54.

The state’s leaders have been urged to provide immediate support for those struggling to secure affordable housing. Picture: iStock

Heartbreaking comments from those at the coalface shows parents are being kept awake at night for fear of losing their homes, pensioners’ savings have been wiped and some are forgoing everyday toiletries just to save money.

QCOSS chief Aimee McVeigh insisted the state’s booming economy should be leant on to provide relief.

“It’s clear the state government didn’t cause the cost of living crisis but there is absolutely more governments can do to support people experiencing cost of living pressure,” she said.

“And given it’s an election year, it’s really important that Queenslanders know what support the opposition would provide should they form government.”

Ms McVeigh said the savings of $22 from the freezing of car registration “is clearly not enough” given some Queenslanders have been forced to sleep in their vehicles.

“We need support that would make sure people actually have a roof over their head, have enough food on the table and an ability to pay the electricity bill,” she said.

Opposition cost of living spokeswoman Deb Frecklington.

“From our perspective, there is more that government can do in terms of controlling how much rent is increasing by, providing further bill relief on energy bills, providing further food relief – our emergency food relief services are absolutely being smashed.”

Anglicare Southern Queensland’s Liz Giles said the charitable organisation supported nearly 50,000 people last financial year.

“Poverty is a policy decision, not an inevitable fact of life,” she said.

“Inequality is effectively set at the level the government of the day is content with. Lifting people out of poverty would be a better policy choice.”

Opposition cost of living spokeswoman Deb Frecklington has been pushing for the government’s inquiry into supermarkets expanded to include other influences driving up the price of electricity, transport, insurance and water.

“Other big kitchen table bills like water bills and insurance premiums as well as transport costs have soared because Labor has failed to provide water security, failed to act on the youth crime crisis and failed to invest and maintain the state’s road and rail networks and Steven Miles is refusing to acknowledge that by refusing to expand the inquiry,” she said.

Enoggera single mum Samantha Eagle with sons Caleb, 8, and Levi, 6. Picture: Lachie Millard

No fun for Struggle St single mum

Single mother of two Samantha Eagle, from Enoggera in Brisbane’s inner north, uses a spreadsheet to manage expenses in her struggle to make ends meet.

“You get a bit of a kick in the guts realising how much everything costs – like buying coffee, for example,” she said.

Ms Eagle said she was spending an average $50 a week just on school lunches.

“Grocery costs are ridiculous … there was one day where I had to spend $150 for only three days’ worth of food,” she said.

“I have gotten to the point where – when I don’t have my kids – I’ll just make noodles or toast because it’s more cost effective.” Ms Eagle said it was a struggle to afford enjoyable things like her kids playing sports, birthday parties or going to the movies.

“It’s such a shame, my boys played tennis but I have had to pull them out and offer cheaper sports to them,” she said.

When asked what she would say to Premier Steven Miles and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli about cost of living, Ms Eagle said that relieving the pressure on groceries and petrol prices was essential – especially for single parents.

“I don’t know how I could support another person on my income and I don’t know why costs are going up so quickly,” she said.

Rose Innes

Pensioners Sue and Dennis O’Toole at Chermside Bowls Club. Picture: Lachie Millard

Prices ‘can’t keep going up’

Pensioners Sue and Dennis O’Toole, of Fitzgibbon on Brisbane’s northside, have felt the pinch over the past six months as grocery and petrol prices soared.

“Everything has gone up. Our kids’ rentals for example have gone up by $60 or $70 a week – it’s getting out of reach for them,” Mrs O’Toole said.

She said she shopped around for cheaper fuel and had cut down on costly items, such as meat, in her weekly grocery shop.

“Our grocery shop would’ve been $150 and now it’s $200,” she said.

“And that’s only over the past 12 months. You just can’t keep any savings.”

Mr O’Toole said: “As pensioners, you can’t just run around to all the little shops all the time to try to get specials, you just need the one.”

Mr O’Toole said he would tell the state’s political leaders: “They need to be made accountable for what they are doing, if prices aren’t reasonable.”

“Somebody has to do something about it, it can’t keep on with prices going up for everything,” Mr O’Toole said.

Rose Innes

Originally published as Miles, Crisafulli urged by St Vinnies, Anglicare to dig deep for those struggling to secure affordable housing