After being forced to ration food and gasoline and even choose when to wash their clothing, a young family said that the cost of living issue had transformed Australia into something that was unrecognisable.
In Kangarilla, southeast of Adelaide, David Fairhead and Wynona Reilly reside with their daughter in an outdated farmhouse without a functioning stove.
Following the passing of their landlord, the couple has urgently attempted to locate new housing but has been turned down by over 100 landlords.
In an interview with presenter Allison Langdon of the Today Show, Ms. Reilly remarked, “It doesn’t seem like it should be this way in Australia.”
‘With the level of financial hardship individuals are experiencing this year, it’s too much. It’s totally out of hand,” Mr. Fairhead said.
The family often skips meals and forgoes necessities in order to feed their autistic 6-year-old daughter Savannah.
“We lose out on stuff when we go to the stores.” Because of her autism, my kid has to consume a specific range of foods, so regardless of how much they cost at the grocery, we’ll have to buy them, Ms. Reilly said.
The couple sometimes finds themselves unable to drive their daughter to school due to high gasoline expenses and ongoing automobile issues that they cannot afford to address.
To conserve money, they must also be cautious while washing their garments.
The condition, according to Mr. Fairhead, is “demotivating and demoralising.”
However, the pair said that they are just “one of thousands” of Australian families that are frantically scrambling to locate housing and pay for necessities in the face of the rising cost of living problem.
While recovering from a work-related accident, Mr. Fairhead, who is now on benefits, is seeking for employment.
Reilly receives a caregiver allowance.
The pair expressed gratitude for the close friends and family members who had helped them.
In Australia, the cost of many staple foods has increased, as shown by last month’s statement that our country’s inflation rate is at its highest level in two decades.
Australia’s east coast has seen flooding that has damaged crops, and the country’s cost of living has increased as a result of increasing gasoline prices brought on by Russia’s horrific Ukraine conflict.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, prices for fruits, vegetables, breakfast cereals, bread, eggs, oils, butter, and margarines have all increased significantly in the last year (ABS).
Due to the issue, Australians are also paying some of the highest petrol costs in the world.
The administration has decided against extending the reduction in the fuel tax, which is slated to expire on September 28. As a result, the price of gasoline is expected to rise considerably further.