Even with rent assistance and other supplementary payments
added to the household income, many social security
payments fall below the poverty line. As a result, many
people are forced deeper into financial hardship. Responses
from the 2014 survey showed of those in receipt of a
Centrelink payment as their main source of income 25% were
on DSP, 20.3% on NSA, 19.9% on SRSS, 12.5% on PPS and 5.6%
on Carer Allowance12.
Responses from participants regarding their estimated weekly
income were substantially lower than those reported by
residents of the City of Whittlesea more broadly. According to
2011 Census data, the average weekly income for residents of
the City of Whittlesea was $1,275. This compares to the ER
survey where 44.4% of respondents indicated their average
household income was below $400, with 76.6% having an
income of $600 or less per week available for their
household. This highlights a significant number of residents in
the municipality who are finding it increasingly difficult to
meet their daily living expenses.
The most commonly identified costs causing financial
hardship, identified by more than half of all respondents,
were food expenses (68%), electricity (63.2%), housing costs
and gas (54.2%). The City of Whittlesea’s 2014 Household
Survey found that an unprecedented number of people
identified cost as a barrier to accessing fresh produce (29.2%
for fruit and 26.8% for vegetables) highlighting food security
as an issue for many in the community13.
Two-thirds of respondents indicated that in the previous 12
months they were aware a member of their household had
sought other emergency relief or welfare assistance. The
most common reason for seeking assistance was due to
difficulties paying housing costs (56.6%), which had more than
doubled compared to