Stories

The low rate of Newstart and Youth Allowance has a human impact on the lives of nearly one million Australians who are currently receiving income support. They include young people making the transition from study, single parents of school-age children and older Australians confronting technological change.

Juanita

If you are a single parent with three school aged children struggling on income support like Juanita, you know the stress of juggling debts with the need to feed your children.

You would know the stress when they need a laptop or textbooks for school, or the desolation when they need to drop out of sport because you can’t afford the fees.

Mike

If you're an older worker like Mike, who provided for yourself and your family for more than 40 years you could understand the feeling of shame when asking for support.

You would see the efforts that go into finding paid work in a world that seems to have passed you by, as you watch the security you have built slowly whittle away to nothing.

Cassandra

If you had left home to study in the city and follow your dreams like Cassandra, you would feel the daily pressure to get to class when you can’t afford the transport fare.

You would know the strain to concentrate when you haven’t eaten breakfast, the barriers that emerge when you can’t meet with other students.