Queensland Families On The Brink As Power, Water And Rate Rises Bite Hard

The Courier Mail
ELECTRICITY, water and rate rises are putting Queenslanders in the red. Families say they are struggling to make ends meet with the basic costs of living continuing to rise, forcing them to tighten their belts more than ever.

Escalating home loan repayments, food costs, health insurance payments, childcare fees, fuel prices, car registration and council rates are pushing households to the brink.

Queensland Council of Social Service board president Karyn Walsh said an increasing number of people were seeking help and one in 10 families was now living in poverty.

"What we are experiencing in the last few years is the steady increase in people who would never have thought they would have to rely on the assistance of a welfare service to get by," she said.

"Things are definitely getting worse for a broader range of people . . . there's a lot more people coming in for housing assistance that have never been to a community agency before."

"I would anticipate the faster pace inflation or cost increases that we are seeing in these areas of services is likely to continue."
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