The 11th annual index compares rents and incomes across Australia to show where households face the greatest stress. It finds that rental affordability has finally stabilised in parts of the country after years of steep decline. However, pressures remain high, especially for people on low and moderate incomes.

This paper explores the idea of halving the JobSeeker payment but doubling its frequency from a fortnightly to weekly payment. The paper documents JobSeeker recipient spending patterns and finds they face more financial stress, experience greater spending volatility and withdraw higher rates of cash than New Zealand recipients who receive weekly payments.

This report offers a snapshot of Australia’s hunger problem. It shows persistent and endemic food insecurity with one in three Australian households experiencing food insecurity in the past 12 months. This year’s report highlights a significant lag between economic and household-level recovery.

This report presents brief statistical analyses of the first 23 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, a nationally representative longitudinal study of Australian households. The latest findings reveal that economic pressures and social shifts are changing how Australians approach key life decisions.

This report considers the productivity challenge within Australia’s retail sector which has seen greater productivity increases over the past two decades than in other sectors, but not a proportionate improvement in living standards for its workforce. It offers a cautionary tale for policymakers, highlighting how productivity benefits don’t automatically flow through. The report provides two...