MORE than three million Australians living in poverty desperately need additional support to survive as surging inflation puts household necessities out of reach, according to the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals inflation rose 2.1 per cent in the March quarter, up 5.1 per cent over the past year.

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As the ABS states, these are the largest quarterly and annual rises since the introduction of the Goods and services tax (GST).

St Vincent de Paul Society’s National President Claire Victory said ballooning household costs come during an election in which the most vulnerable people in the community have largely been forgotten.

“This neglect was shown by the brutal decision of both major parties to leave JobSeeker at $46 a day, which holds recipients well beneath the poverty line and exposed to rising cost of living pressures.

“Expecting people to survive on $46 a day is cruel.

“It demonstrates a lack of understanding, or care, for people doing it tough and the growing challenge of making ends meet as prices for basic goods surge.

“Whichever party wins government next month will be forced to urgently address this issue unless they want to preside over a ballooning poverty crisis,” Ms Victory said.

Ms Victory said caution from both parties about increasing the national debt was understandable, which is why the St Vincent de Paul Society commissioned modelling to demonstrate budget-neutral options available to fund changes that would release Australians from poverty en masse.

“Our research shows Australia can easily fund a significant boost to JobSeeker, alongside an increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance, by making simple and affordable changes to our tax and welfare system.

“The only problem is we lack political leaders with the courage to countenance such a plan,” Ms Victory said.

“Our modelling shows you could release over a million Australians from poverty through minor changes to capital gains tax and superannuation tax that would only marginally affect the very highest income-earners.

“Australia contains both incredible wealth and heartbreaking poverty.

“Our incapacity to fix one with the other is a failure of politics, not a budgetary restraint,” Ms Victory said.

Meryl Swanson, Member for Paterson, told News Of The Area, “Everything is going up except people’s wages, and the Morrison Government has no long-term plan.”

She welcomed short-term help, declaring it necessary, but believes that long-term action is needed to help all Australians.

“Labor has a plan to address cost-of-living pressures through our policies on cheaper childcare, cheaper electricity, lifting wages and making more things here in Australia.

“The full-blown cost-of-living crisis we are in is Scott Morrison’s doing.

“International developments in 2022 don’t explain or excuse a decade of Coalition attacks on wages and job security.

“Workers deserve a decent pay rise, and we certainly reject calls from employers to freeze the minimum wage,” she said.

Liberal candidate for Paterson, Brooke Vitnell said, “The Liberal National Government is providing real cost of living relief, including relief to assist Australians in achieving that proud dream of homeownership, for some with a deposit of as little as two percent.

“The plan will help more first home buyers get a deposit by raising the number of low-deposit guarantees for first home buyers to 35,000 each year; build more homes in regional Australia by providing 10,000 low-deposit guarantees each financial year for those moving to, or within, regional areas; help single parent families buy a home by increasing the number of low-deposit guarantees to 5,000 each financial year; ensure Australians can continue to have choice when purchasing their home by increasing the property price caps for the Home Guarantee Scheme; and back more investment into affordable housing with an additional $2 billion in low-cost financing to support social and affordable dwellings,” she said.

By Marian SAMPSON