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Australia in crisis: Mother forced to choose between food and hot shower as electricity prices skyrocket
Australia in crisis: Mother forced to choose between food and hot shower as electricity prices skyrocket
As the reality of Australia's cost of living problem is brought bare, a mother has provided details of how she may soon have to choose between feeding her children and paying the power bill.
Paulene Stephanie of Redcliffe, Queensland, has gone days without eating to ensure her son is properly cared for due to rising food and utility bills.
‘It's scary. It'll either be turning off the hot water and showering every second day or not eating every second day. They're the only options I can think of.’ she said.
Source: Daily Mail
After struggling to find work as a casual retail employee, Ms Stephanie said she sits up at night weeping' because she can't pay her bills.
‘Sometimes I'll go without a meal to make sure they eat, to make sure they have enough,’ she added.
She dreads the soon-coming cold, winter months as she is currently unable to adequately fund heating and electricity. She isn’t alone. Many Australians are sharing similar sentiments as prices continue to climb. Another growing fear is that the nation could see a natural gas shortage, which would drive up the cost of living even higher.
As part of his search for a solution to soaring wholesale prices, Chris Bowen, the new Energy Minister, will arrange a conference with state and territory legislators from across the country.
Telling energy export companies to divert more gas to public consumption is one of the subjects that will be examined.
The new administration is claiming that they’re hampered by the problems they inherited from Scott Morrison's government, but Treasurer Jim Chalmers insists dealing with it is a 'priority.'
He warned of 'skyrocketing inflation' earlier this week, with the Reserve Bank of Australia widely projected to raise interest rates five more times before the end of 2022 in a bid to slow price rises.
‘This perfect storm of energy price spikes is doing enormous damage to our employers, to our households, and to our national economy,’ he said, ‘There are far more troubling aspects in our economy: skyrocketing inflation is a big challenge.’
Source: Daily Mail
According to Aldi, a typical family spends $192.19 per week on groceries or $9,994 per year.
That works out to $832 every month. If inflation stays at 5.1%, that translates to an extra $42.47 every month.
Ms Stephanie claims that politicians are unaware of the difficulties that ordinary Australians face.
‘I wish they'd come and live with me for a month. I would love to see them try and live on my budget for a month’ she said.
Fruit and vegetable prices increased by 6.7% in the year to March as a result of floods on Australia's east coast, while meat and seafood costs increased by 6.2%.
What do you think about this? Does the recent surge in inflation concern you? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
Check out the video below to see the country’s current economic conditions as of May 6, 2022, according to the RBA.
