Sunrise anchor Natalie Barr sheds light on the cost of living crisis, puts Albanese in the hot seat
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With news reports of children going to school hungry and struggling families unable to keep up with mortgage payments, Australians are getting increasingly worried about the escalating costs of living.
Sunrise co-host Nat Barr voiced these concerns in an impassioned interview with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the cost-of-living crisis.
Barr posed two tough questions to Albanese, first referring to the school theft dilemma.
'We know inflation is coming down, but it's not coming down fast enough', she told Albanese.
'We hear this morning, Prime Minister, that students are pretending to go to the toilet at school, rummaging through other kids' bags to steal their lunches. That's coinciding with the interest rate rises. This is under your watch. How do you feel about that?'
Barr's comment regarding the theft of food in schools is based on a report from a primary school in NSW. According to the report, some students were resorting to stealing their classmates' lunches because their parents or guardians faced financial difficulties and couldn't afford to provide them with meals.
The prime minister empathised with the challenges faced by Australian families, stating that he understood firsthand what it meant to endure tough times.
'My government will work each and every day to make a difference. We have had global inflation, [which] has had a real impact here as it has around the world,' he said.
Albanese also highlighted the relatively lower interest rates in Australia when compared to the United States and Europe. He further discussed the initiatives undertaken by his government, including the energy rebate, aimed at reducing expenses for households.
Continuing, Barr emphasised the hardships faced by Aussies with mortgages, describing them as being 'smashed' and struggling to keep up with the ongoing increase in interest rates.
'What else can you do for the people who are still spending because it seems the people with the mortgages are just the ones being hit all the time. What's your message to the Reserve Bank?' she asked Albanese.
The prime minister responded: 'Well, you are right, Nat. Some people are doing okay, while others are doing it really tough. And that's why the government has a difficult task to manage.'
'That's why we have to target our spending in a way that doesn't put pressure on inflation, that targets that relief plan that we have,' he said.
'That's why we were conscious about the surplus, we put additional money into public housing.' Albanese conceded it was a 'difficult' situation to address.
The recent reports of school theft shed light on a larger problem related to the rising costs of living. According to Brianna Casey, the Chief Executive of Foodbank, this trend indicates that an increasing number of people are relying on food relief on a regular basis.
'We're hearing reports from schools of children stealing lunch from other children's lunch boxes. The consequences are really alarming from a health perspective and for educational outcomes—we can't expect children to concentrate in class and behave well when they are so hungry they've tipped into “hangry” before the day has started,' Casey said.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, Foodbank has called upon the Reserve Bank to take immediate action by refraining from raising interest rates.
We are well aware of the challenges posed by the increasing costs of living and price hikes. It's a topic that hits close to home for many of us. So, members, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Were you satisfied with Prime Minister Albanese's response? We await your opinions and encourage you to share them in the comments section below!
Sunrise co-host Nat Barr voiced these concerns in an impassioned interview with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the cost-of-living crisis.
Barr posed two tough questions to Albanese, first referring to the school theft dilemma.
'We know inflation is coming down, but it's not coming down fast enough', she told Albanese.
'We hear this morning, Prime Minister, that students are pretending to go to the toilet at school, rummaging through other kids' bags to steal their lunches. That's coinciding with the interest rate rises. This is under your watch. How do you feel about that?'
Anthony Albanese was asked tough questions on the morning show following alarming reports that children were going to school hungry as families struggled to pay their mortgages. Credit: Facebook/Anthony Albanese.
Barr's comment regarding the theft of food in schools is based on a report from a primary school in NSW. According to the report, some students were resorting to stealing their classmates' lunches because their parents or guardians faced financial difficulties and couldn't afford to provide them with meals.
The prime minister empathised with the challenges faced by Australian families, stating that he understood firsthand what it meant to endure tough times.
'My government will work each and every day to make a difference. We have had global inflation, [which] has had a real impact here as it has around the world,' he said.
Albanese also highlighted the relatively lower interest rates in Australia when compared to the United States and Europe. He further discussed the initiatives undertaken by his government, including the energy rebate, aimed at reducing expenses for households.
Continuing, Barr emphasised the hardships faced by Aussies with mortgages, describing them as being 'smashed' and struggling to keep up with the ongoing increase in interest rates.
'What else can you do for the people who are still spending because it seems the people with the mortgages are just the ones being hit all the time. What's your message to the Reserve Bank?' she asked Albanese.
The prime minister responded: 'Well, you are right, Nat. Some people are doing okay, while others are doing it really tough. And that's why the government has a difficult task to manage.'
'That's why we have to target our spending in a way that doesn't put pressure on inflation, that targets that relief plan that we have,' he said.
'That's why we were conscious about the surplus, we put additional money into public housing.' Albanese conceded it was a 'difficult' situation to address.
The recent reports of school theft shed light on a larger problem related to the rising costs of living. According to Brianna Casey, the Chief Executive of Foodbank, this trend indicates that an increasing number of people are relying on food relief on a regular basis.
'We're hearing reports from schools of children stealing lunch from other children's lunch boxes. The consequences are really alarming from a health perspective and for educational outcomes—we can't expect children to concentrate in class and behave well when they are so hungry they've tipped into “hangry” before the day has started,' Casey said.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, Foodbank has called upon the Reserve Bank to take immediate action by refraining from raising interest rates.
We are well aware of the challenges posed by the increasing costs of living and price hikes. It's a topic that hits close to home for many of us. So, members, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Were you satisfied with Prime Minister Albanese's response? We await your opinions and encourage you to share them in the comments section below!
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