A single dad’s heartbreaking story has exposed the dire reality of life for thousands of Aussies trapped in the country’s rolling cost-of-living crisis.
Peter, appearing on the ABC’s flagship Q and A program on Monday night, told the panel he was struggling to survive while working full time with two children.
“My wife passed away from cancer last August I am now a single dad with an eight-year-old and 22-year-old,” he said.
“The 22-year-old has never had a job as I needed him to take care of his mother while I was at work.
“He is now struggling to find a job.
“He is on JobSeeker, however it just seems to be a tick box to get the payment.
“How can the government help him get a job when it seems no one wants to even give him an interview?
“And how can I survive when I’m working full-time and on the family tax benefit and still struggling to not live beyond my means?”
Industry Minister Ed Husic appeared shaken by the heart-wrenching story and offered his condolences to Peter, who works as an orderly and cleaner at a hospital.
“One of the first things we did as a government was to lift JobSeeker and the indexation and those changes
in this one term will deliver over $5,000,” he said.
“For single parents in particular, for women, it will lead to over $7500.
“Do I say that sorts everything out and deals with the issues?
“I’m not going to say that and I’m not going to look you in the eye and say that.”
Mr Husic also spruiked the government’s free TAFE program, designed to help upskill young Australians to help them find good-paying jobs.
“I appreciate there is a lot of things that have to line up to make life easier but we are starting that process,” he said.
“We are fair dinkum about trying to make life easier for people.”
Peter said his 22-year-old son had dyspraxia, neurological condition that affects fine and gross motor skills.
“He always struggled with school,” he said.
“He tried to get into a bridging course at uni. Started. Couldn’t do it. That is when we found out about his mother’s diagnosis. He struggled to much going to school. Him going to TAFE is not an option.”
Peter also said his parents were “helping me out big time” but if he were by himself, his income would not cover rent, electricity, gas, food, petrol and car insurance.
Mr O’Brien said maintaining a “strong economy” was the key means by which government could “help out Australians when they’re doing it tough”.
“It is a means by which you can pay for health and education and infrastructure and so often when you do hear the Coalition talking about the need for a strong economy, all I can say to you is please know that is also speaking directly to you because we need to get the prices of things down and the stronger the economy we have, the more we can deal with it,” he said.
Cost-of-living issues are expected to dominate the federal election, which runs until May 3.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised power rebates to ease cost-of-living pressures, while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to cut fuel excise from 50.8c a litre to 25.4c for one year, which would lower petrol prices for consumers.
Later in the program, Grattan Institute CEO Aruna Sathanapally said Australia’s failure to build enough housing was “at the heart of our economic problems”.
“It is an issue that really affects younger Australians and the sense of not seeing a future for themselves because this one thing is proving unsustainable,” she said.