The Western Australian Council of Social Service responded to the release of the NATSEM Household Budget Report today, to ensure the plight of low income households was not forgotten.
“Today’s NATSEM Report confirms the key findings of the WACOSS 2013 Cost of Living Report released in September,” said Chris Twomey, Director of Policy at WACOSS.
“That is, if you are a middle income Australian household, then chances are you have never had it so good … and your income has continued to rise faster than your essential living costs.”
“However, the same does not hold true for others in our community – so while we reflect on our own good fortune, we should spare a thought for those who are really struggling to keep up with rising living costs,” said Mr Twomey.
“Our Cost of Living report clearly showed that households on low and fixed incomes – such as those relying on income support, the minimum wage or low-skilled part-time and casual work – have seen their basic living costs go up faster than their incomes.
“Low income households have copped a double whammy. On the one hand they have not shared the benefits of wage rises and income growth experienced by the rest of our community. On the other hand, low income households spend a much greater proportion of their income on essential costs – like housing, power, transport and food,” he concluded.
Media Contact: Chris Twomey, WACOSS Director of Policy on 0407 725 025 or 08 9420 7222
The WACOSS Cost of Living Report can be downloaded at: http://www.wacoss.org.au/policy_and_advocacy/CostofLiving.aspx
The NATSEM Report can be downloaded at: http://www.natsem.canberra.edu.au/publications/?publication=natsem-household-budget-report-cost-ofliving-and-standard-of-living-indexes-for-australia-september-2013
To download a PDF of this media release, please click here.
