SENATOR DEAN SMITH
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE SHADOW TREASURER
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR THE COST OF LIVING
LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA
23 April 2026
COST-OF-SURVIVING CRISIS HITS FAMILIES AS FOOD DEMAND SURGES
Australians are being pushed to the brink under Labor, with new data from OzHarvest revealing the nation’s cost-of-living crisis has deteriorated into a full-blown “cost-of-surviving” crisis.
The latest OzHarvest Frontline Report shows more than 350,000 Australians are seeking food relief every month, while over 74,000 are being turned away due to overwhelmed charities.
Alarmingly, in an ever-growing trend, 36 per cent of people seeking help are doing so for the first time, including mortgage holders and dual-income households.
In Western Australia, 63 per cent of charities are reporting increased demand and 37 per cent are seeing a rise in first-time users, highlighting the growing pressure on working families in particular.
The report underscores how many households are being forced into difficult trade-offs, with rising housing costs, energy bills and fuel prices consuming household incomes.
Food has become one of the only flexible expenses, leaving Australians to cut back on essentials just to stay afloat.
The devastating impact on children is also flagged in the report, with schools increasingly acting as a support to students arriving hungry and with less capacity to learn.
Demand for food relief has surged again recently, driven by fuel price pressures and supply chain disruptions.
Charities across the country report they have been pushed beyond capacity, with two-thirds unable to meet current demand and more than 1,600 organisations waiting for support themselves.
The findings reinforce growing concerns about the impact of rising living costs, housing pressures and energy prices on Australian households on the Albanese Government’s watch, particularly in regional communities where costs are often significantly higher.
Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith:
“The fact this is now being referred to as a “cost-of-surviving crisis” betrays how urgent the pressures on Australian households have become.”
“When more than 74,000 Australians are being turned away from food relief every month, something has gone fundamentally wrong under the Albanese Government.”
“Rising fuel costs, soaring energy bills and housing pressures are hitting families particularly hard – including in my home state of WA – and especially in regional areas.”
“Our charities sector, which does an incredible job under challenging circumstances, is being stretched beyond capacity after years of doing Labor’s heavy lifting for Australians in need.”
“Australians deserve an economy where hard work gets you ahead and provides security — not one where families are forced to choose between food and fuel, which is the case while Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers are at the wheel.”