Cost and standard of living

ALTERNATIVE LABELS
Cost of living
Household expenses
Living standards
Standard of living
NARROWER TERMS


Report

“It’s hell”: how inadequate income support is causing harm

The surging cost of living is having a devastating impact for people on income support, according to this report by ACOSS. Researchers surveyed 365 people living on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payment over February and March 2023, finding income support payments are completely inadequate.
Report

Poverty in Australia 2023: who is affected

This report uses data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to identify the groups facing the highest risk of poverty and the groups of people most likely to be living in poverty.
Report

State of the sector 2022

QCOSS’ annual 'State of the sector' report highlights emerging issues, and challenges identified by the social services sector, based on recent feedback and engagement.
Report

Profit-price spiral: the truth behind Australia’s inflation

The focus in current anti-inflation policy on suppressing wage growth, enforcing a permanent reduction in real wages, while ignoring the role of record profits in driving post-pandemic inflation reflects an ahistorical and ideological approach to macroeconomic management, writes Jim Stanford.
Report

A decade of wages lost

This report sheds light on the scale and impact of the Australia's nominal wage increases and their recent decline.
Essay

The morality of growth

The economic turmoil of recent years has seen a renewed focus on Britain’s failure to grow. This essay, by CPS Director Robert Colvile, sets out how this is a much longer-term problem than we think – that the growth ceiling of the British economy has...
Report

Green investment: the prudent choice for prosperity

This paper sets out how to increase public spending on climate and nature in the United Kingdom, at speed - to maximise economic opportunities and ensure ongoing public support.
Report

Living affordability in Queensland: December 2022

This report documents the impacts of high inflation, rising energy costs and low housing affordability, which are key drivers of financial hardship for Queensland households. Low-income households are spending most of their income on basic goods and services, such as food, housing and energy, with...
Report

Economic and other wellbeing in Australia – October 2022

This paper describes the trends, variation and determinants of wellbeing over the tumultuous period since COVID-19 first reached Australia and up until October 2022, with a particular focus on changes in economic wellbeing.
Report

Mind the gap: identifying the gap between energy concession eligibility and concessions received

Ensuring low-income consumers receive concessions is direct cost-of-living support to improve affordability of energy bills. This report highlights the gap between those eligible for an energy concession and those receiving this concession on their energy bills.
Report

'Can't afford to live': The impact of the rising cost of living on Victorians and Tasmanians on low incomes

This report provides evidence that the rising cost of living is deepening financial, housing and food insecurity, and impacting mental and physical health, while also increasing social isolation.
Report

Poverty in Australia 2022: a snapshot

This report provides a brief overview of levels of poverty - overall and among adults and children – following the recent release of Australian Bureau of Statistics data on household incomes in 2019-20. It examines trends in poverty since 1999, and through each quarter of...
Report

Switch and save: how gas is costing households

This report presents new analysis on exactly how expensive gas appliances are to run compared to the electrical alternatives, and how much households can save over the long term from switching.
Report

How JobSeeker and other income support payments are falling behind the cost of living

The findings of this report highlight the urgent need to increase base rates of income support to at least $70 a day to ensure that people on the lowest incomes are not left behind. ACOSS urges the federal government to lift incomes in the October...
Report

Power up: ten climate gamechangers

Australia is already suffering significant losses from climate change. The authors of this report argue that accelerating the nation's energy transition will increase energy security and affordability, boost productivity, and ensure we get on a trajectory of steep emissions reductions.
Discussion paper

Addressing rising energy bills: what could the new prime minister do?

UK households are experiencing a severe cost of living crisis. Annualised bills for a typical household are currently rapidly. The UK government has already provided some support, but more is likely to be needed. This paper lays out the government’s options.
Report

Tough times, hard choices

NCOSS' annual 'Cost of living in NSW' research investigates cost-of-living pressures for people living below the poverty line and low-income households in New South Wales. The report explores experiences across a range of issues such as housing, employment, income and financial hardship.
Report

Inflation and the cost of living: policy debates and practices

This paper examines some of the reasons why governments approach inflation the way they do and surveys some recent contributions to the policy debate.
Report

Comparative analysis of cost of living

Deloitte Access Economics was engaged by the Western Australian Treasury to undertake a comparative analysis of cost of living between Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; and between the major regional centres of Bunbury, Newcastle, Geelong and Sunshine Coast. The purpose of the report is to...
Discussion paper

Are wages or profits driving Australia’s inflation? An analysis of the National Accounts

The distributional consequences of record high profits and record low real wage growth have been widely discussed in Australia recently, but the data presented in this paper suggests that rising profits are now the major driver of inflation.
Report

E-change and remote work in Australia

This report is about ‘e-changers’ - a significant and growing segment of the population who have chosen to move from the city to regional and coastal areas while maintaining their city jobs.
Report

Prices and profits after the pandemic

This analysis shows that the profits of the largest non-financial companies were up 34 per cent at the end of 2021, compared to pre-pandemic levels – rising significantly faster than inflation and wage growth. This report argues that some firms could have considerable market power...
Briefing paper

Wages, prices, and the 2022 federal election

The recent federal election featured important debate regarding the recent acceleration of inflation in Australia, and whether and how wages should be boosted to keep up with higher prices. This briefing paper reviews the detailed findings of an exit poll regarding wages, prices and the...
Report

Feeling the pinch

This report explores how Australian Service Union members working in clerical and administrative roles in the private sector are faring under these conditions. It provides insight into their wages and their satisfaction with their wages, their perceptions around their financial situation and the cost of...
Report

Wage norms and the link to public sector salary caps

This report examines the escalating cost of living and retention crisis for New South Wales public sector workers.