Hundreds of Australians say they skip meals, visit food banks and 'dumpster dive' as the cost of living crisis continues
Hundreds of Australians have told a cost of living inquiry they are struggling to afford basic necessities, at times going without food to make sure their loved ones can eat. (ABC News: Brianna Morris-Grant)
A mother skips meals to make sure her son can eat dinner.
Later in the week she will join a line of people accessing a food bank for the first time in their lives.
Others get through the day on little more than coffee or a bread roll, going hungry to pay rent, electricity bills or buy their pets food.
A Senate committee, which launched an inquiry into the cost of living, has asked Australians to share their experiences and they have responded — more than 900 by the latest count.
They are struggling to afford the basics, at times going without food to make sure their loved ones can eat.
Some provide their names. Others are anonymous. But their responses paint a picture of a food insecurity problem experts say is "on the rise" across Australia.
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— Name withheldI look after my animals over myself. Some days all I have is coffee or a bread roll as they cannot feed themselves. Last year a can of home brand cat food was .85 cents. This month, $1.60.
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— Name withheldI cannot afford to put nutritious food on the table, let alone eat three times a day.
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— Name withheldI eat one meal a day at the moment, it's all I can afford.
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— Renee Berke[I] limit food intake so I can feed and look after my dog as I have no one else except a couple of friends.
'You have no idea how humiliating this was'
Salvation Army mission leader Lauren Martin says staff are seeing many people visit support services for the first time.
"They're embarrassed, they're like, 'Should I be here, other people have it worse than me,'" she says.
"There's no buffer anymore. As things are getting more and more expensive, people have run out ... so they are literally living pay cheque to pay cheque.
"I think for a lot of Australians who are in that middle- to high-income bracket, there's always somewhere we can get money from if we're running low.
"But for many ... it's super scary and stressful [that] for the first time, that's it. When your bank account says 27 cents, you've got 27 cents."
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— Rebecca SegalisCurrently receiving food hampers from charities and [it's] the first time I have had to reach out for that kind of help, as well as [receiving] government vouchers to cover some of my gas and electricity bills.
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— Name withheldI go without food to ensure my son has something to eat … [I] have also gone to a charity for the first time in my life ... you have no idea how humiliating this was for me and almost cost me my life.
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— Name withheldFor the first time in my life I am accessing food bank charities for groceries.
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— Name withheldI've had to stop shopping at supermarkets as I can't afford it and use charity food banks for food.
National food relief organisation Foodbank told the inquiry it had seen the root cause of food insecurity across Australia shift from sudden, unexpected expenses — or "bill shock" — to people struggling to afford "expected" everyday expenses.
Foodbank's chief executive Brianna Casey says the organisation is seeing a "quite significant shift" in the types of people seeking food relief.
"We know that those who are experiencing hunger for the first time are increasingly younger, young professionals in particular," she says. "They're employed, they're actually in the mid- to high-income bracket.
"There would be a lot of assumptions about the cost of living impacting those on the lowest incomes, and it categorically is ... but it is also impacting our professionals and it means we are having to find new and creative ways to provide [relief] because people simply cannot access it nine-to-five, Monday to Friday because they're working full time."
Some Foodbank workers are adapting to offer pop-up or drive-through stalls or extend their hours to extend support to more and more people.
Ms Casey says the level of food insecurity seen across Australia currently is unprecedented.
"When we look at things like natural disasters ... we experience this very significant spike in demand for relief during the crisis phase, and then there's a long and complex recovery phase," she says.
"The concern we have right now is the cost of living crisis is lasting such a long time in that crisis phase that we think recovery could actually take many, many years."
'I eat my son's left overs'
People across Australia are "being forced to ration food" to afford other essential items, according to the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS).
"Almost three-quarters of people receiving income support are eating less or skipping meals due to the low rate of payments and rising cost of living," the organisation said in September.
"The average Australian grocery bill is $160 a week, or $23 a day, while average unit rents are $510 per week, or $73 a day."
For many, says Ms Martin, common cost-cutting advice like buying groceries in bulk is just "out of the question".
"It's a great idea, it's an awesome idea to save money but, particularly for people on benefits ... it's actually a luxury," she says.
"You actually end up paying more per item when you are under severe financial hardship than people with money. That's a huge injustice.
"You're going to the supermarket 1-2 times per week because you can't afford to buy in bulk, so you're buying the smallest item [which] costs the most per unit price.
"There's all of these things associated with living in financial hardship that actually stack against people."
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— Name withheld[I'm] relying on dumpster diving, i.e. getting food from garbage bins.
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— Name withheldI eat my son's left overs.
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— Name withheldMissing meals to make ends meet ... one meal every second day, can't afford medication. [I'm] homeless, cannot afford to rent as I don't meet the standard requirements with great rental history ... Cannot afford nutritional food.
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— Name withheldI buy things like rice in bulk when it's half price and use it for most meals … We don't eat steak anymore. We have mince bulked out with lentils. I've had to use charity shops for food. I am so severely depressed it's hard to think straight.
'Red meat is a luxury'
Some have grown to fear going to the supermarket at all, says ACOSS's Social Security program director Charmaine Crowe.
"They know that the little money they have is not going to buy all they need," she says.
"So they're having to walk up and down the aisles, making horrible decisions, whether to buy canned food for the week or buy the milk and bread that they need.
"The first thing people will tell us is that their health suffers because they're unable to afford fresh fruit and vegetables.
"You end up relying on food that's not as healthy, bulky food like pasta or rice."
The cost of living inquiry was initially commissioned on September 28, 2022.
An interim report, released in May 2023, found "increasing cost of food and groceries [were] a major contributing factor to the cost of living crisis".
"Supply chain disruptions are a primary driver of increasing food and grocery prices," it said.
"However, increased input costs to the production and provision of these goods, including energy and fuel, will impact the prices paid by consumers."
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— Howard PermezelI am careful to look for 'specials' on supermarket shelves. I do not buy non-essential food stuffs that formerly were a treat. I am aware of an almost 'invisible cost' which may not appear to be 'inflationary,' where sellers reduce contents of products in the same or similar packaging.
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— Name withheldWe shop around for the best prices on groceries online before going to the shops. So the weekly groceries are done across multiple shops to get the best prices. Red meat is a luxury, limited to a few hundred grams per person or mince.
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— Name withheldI live in a country area 120km from the nearest city. I can't afford to buy groceries in my hometown because It's too expensive! I have had to cut meat down to once or twice per month and other groceries l need for better health … I can't afford to go out for lunch or dinner with friends ... or entertainment, or treat myself with a coffee and slice at a cafe.
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— Name withheldMissing meals to make ends meet ... one meal every second day, can't afford medication. [I'm] homeless, cannot afford to rent as I don't meet the standard requirements with great rental history ... Cannot afford nutritional food.
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— Nicholas GrootNo longer buy brand names at the supermarket … No longer buy take-out or fast food. Do not buy lamb or beef.
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— Lisa SmithEvery part of my financial life is budgeted to the cent (I can't even risk rounding bills up or down) … I make sure the kids have good lunches, but 2-3 days a week have the work supplied (terrible) coffee instead of bringing lunch.
Frozen vegetables are more economical than fresh, only buy in season fruit and mince based dishes are now 3 times a week ... My shopping is based on a fortnight meal plan and then looking at online catalogues to see where the cheapest prices are.
The message from advocates on the ground, says Ms Martin, is: "Come and see us."
"Please don't leave it, it's easier for us to help people early," she says.
"One of the first things we say ... is, 'Make sure you pay your rent and utilities first, we can always assist with things like food.'
"Come and see us if you're in need. There's hope."
The committee is set to hand down its final report on May 31, 2024.