Foodbank Hunger Report reveals troubling meal-skipping trend among low-income earners as millions experience 'severe' food insecurity

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Foodbank Hunger Report found outcomes had improved during the past year for high and middle-income earners, but dropped for low-income households.

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00:00Over the decades, disability pensioner Tony Ottens and her husband Rodney have shared

00:06thousands of home cooked meals with the needy.

00:09But as prices rise, it's getting harder.

00:12I'm only putting one.

00:13I used to put two.

00:14Doesn't need two.

00:16They say these hot meals are needed now more than ever.

00:19People are struggling a lot more than what they ever used to.

00:23It's a lot of times I will go to places and the shelves are just empty.

00:27There's nothing there.

00:29Empty kitchen shelves is something Food Charity Food Bank has been tracking.

00:33Its latest hunger report reveals 3.4 million Australian households are experiencing food

00:39insecurity.

00:40And two million of those are in the severe category.

00:42That means that they are making compromises on what they are eating, when they are eating

00:47or even skipping meals and going entire days without eating.

00:51The report found in the past year more than a million households had completely run out

00:55of food and didn't have money to buy more.

00:58It also warns that while food security is improving for high and middle income earners,

01:03it's getting worse for households earning less than $30,000 a year.

01:08We know when it comes to economic shocks and natural disasters, low income households suffer

01:12first, worst and for the longest and that is exactly what is playing out.

01:18The rising cost of food and housing was identified as the leading cause of food insecurity, followed

01:22by reduced incomes or government benefits.

01:25ANU Professor Ben Phillips says increasing the rate of JobSeeker would be a quick way

01:29to ease the pressure of those struggling with food budgets.

01:32So increasing that payment which goes to the lowest income Australians and those most likely

01:37to be in poverty and financial stress, that would make a lot of help to those people.

01:42Half of those struggling to feed themselves said shame kept them from seeking help, while

01:47a third said they didn't think they deserved it or were eligible.

01:50There is no shame in asking for help and that's exactly what we're here for.

01:54Help that continues to be needed.

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