Cost-of-living crisis: Worrying amount of Australian families struggling to make ends meet, report finds

The cost-of-living crisis has been laid bare in a new report that shows nearly 60 per cent of Australian families are struggling to make ends meet.

For the first time, the Suicide Prevention Australia Community Tracker has found more than half of households with children under the age of 18 are reporting rising economic distress.

This is prompting calls for the Federal Government to step in and give Australians greater access to help.

In just a three-month period, 56 per cent of family homes recorded having cost-of-living stress, compared to 36 per cent the quarter earlier.

The report also reveals households with children are twice as likely to call a suicide prevention hotline for help nationally, after reporting some of the highest rates of suicidal behaviours and mental illness diagnoses in the past 12 months.

Suicide Prevention Australia CEO Nieves Murray said the findings were a “warning sign” of what was being felt in the family homes of ordinary Australians and urged the Commonwealth to do more.

“Feeding the family and keeping a roof over our heads are two of the most basic human needs. While interest rates are a matter for the RBA board, we must be prepared and proactive to prevent distress and suicide rates from continuing to rise,” Ms Murray said.

“We know that suicide is complex and often linked to many risk factors like personal debt, unemployment, family breakdown, social isolation, and mental health.