Aussie staple doubles in cost
You know the cost of most things is rising. But when one doubles in price – after 13 years of stability – eyebrows are raised.
7-Eleven’s iconic $1 coffees will cost $2 from Tuesday 4 October – the first time since 2009 the price has been increased.
That may not have too big an impact on you, but it’s a sobering reality for many of the country’s cash-strapped citizens.
"A hot drink for one dollar was affordable, but two dollars is gonna be hard," said one
Chair of Homelessness Australia Jenny Smith told SBS News that many Australians had to choose between food and rent, largely due to insufficient payment support from the government.
Ms Smith says the cost of living pressures are "just turning the screws" on Australians on the very lowest incomes and is calling for a rise in Centrelink payments.
"Life is very tough for people on low incomes in Australia," she says.
The Australian Council of Social Services [ACOSS] is also calling for an increase in rental assistance payments, which is around $10 per day, to be increased to $15 per day.
"That's still a very low income as the purchase value of what those dollars are worth just keeps declining," says Ms Smith.
"But at the moment, it's a disgrace."
Are Centrelink payments and rent assistance falling way behind rising living costs?
I know some people are struggling to pay for Rent and groceries. I am totally amazed when I go to my local
Stockland Mall especially on weekends. The Food Courts and cafes are very crowded with parents taking
their children to breakfast or just to eat and the children order a great amount of food and usually leave most of it on their plates. To me, I don't seem to notice where people are struggling to pay for food. The
shopping trolleys are packed to the hilt, usually with chips and soft drinks, maybe it's all on the credit card.