Foodbank’s annual Hunger Report, released on Wednesday as part of Anti-Poverty Week, suggests the number of people going hungry in Australia has increased since the coronavirus welfare supplement and job keeper payments were withdrawn.
An estimated 1.2 million children in Australia went hungry in the past year, while one in six adults also faced severe food insecurity, the new report says.
It found 17% of respondents could be “categorised as being severely food insecure”, meaning they have “multiple disruptions to their eating patterns and are forced to reduce their food intake”.
“These individuals and families are often forced to eat smaller meals to make the food last longer or skip meals altogether,” the report said.
Brianna Casey, the chief executive of Foodbank Australia, said incomes levels and the cost of living were a big part of the problem.
“Whether you’re struggling in unemployment or underemployment, or the structural supports we have in Australia are not meeting your needs, we know income levels are contributing to food insecurity in Australia,” she said.
The report found one in three people who were struggling to meet their food needs were “new to this situation”.
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