3 New Resources for Volunteer Leaders | November 2024

Discover new resources for volunteer leaders, including the latest reports:

#1 Impossible choices: Decisions NSW communities shouldn’t have to make (2024 Report)  

The NCOSS Cost of Living in NSW Report (September 2024), Impossible Choices: Decisions NSW communities shouldn’t have to make investigates the impact of rising costs of living on people living in poverty and in low-income households across NSW.  

Each section of the report integrates quantitative and qualitative data, highlighting regional variations and those among various demographic groups. This year, the research also shone an additional spotlight on the impact of these pressures on households with children.

The research, undertaken in March and April of 2024, involved 1,086 NSW residents through an online survey. Twenty-three survey participants also contributed to focus groups and interviews. This research is part of a series that began in 2019 and includes longitudinal analysis for the first time, highlighting how the impacts of cost-of-living pressures on low-income households are changing over time.  

The findings of the research are organised into sections based on key cost of living themes and related issues:

• Cost of living impacts (Section 2) – how the impacts of the rising costs of living are affecting different cohorts, focusing on household expenses, savings, and indicators of financial hardship. 
• Housing (Section 3) – including current housing arrangements, affordability and housing stress, changes to housing and adequacy of housing conditions. 
• Employment (Section 4) – including work, employment status and changes to employment.
• Income (Section 5) – including income source and access to government supports.
• Section 6 puts a spotlight on households with dependent children, including how they are similar to, or differ from, the rest of the population. 
• Addressing cost of living issues (Section 7) – including qualitative feedback from respondents on what they believe should be done to address these issues. 

To supplement the report, NCOSS has prepared a summary report of the key findings, data and recommendations to address the issues identified in the Key Insights Report 

#2 Foodbank Hunger Report 2024

The Foodbank Hunger Report (2024) explores the current hunger situation in Australia, including those Australian households most affected, groups where improvements have been made, and others that are falling further behind.  

As highlighted by the Foodbank Hunger Reports of 2022 and 2023, in recent years Australia has been grappling with a growing food security crisis. The primary driver is the rising cost of living, particularly for food, energy, and housing, as well as natural disasters, inadequate income support, unemployment and underemployment, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.   

There are groups that are at greater risk of food insecurity than the general population, in particular, low-income households (below $30,000), those in regional areas, and single parent households (69% experiencing food insecurity, 41% severe). 

The 2024 research was conducted via an online survey in July and August, with a main sample of 4000 Australians aged 18 and over, and a booster of 260 Australians aged 18+ from NT and SA. The main sample was nationally representative, with interlocking quotas by age, gender and location.  

The 2024 research findings include: 

• Food insecurity in Australia has reached a critical point. Almost half of low-income households have faced food insecurity in 2024 – the worst the situation has been since the cost-of-living crisis began.
• 48% of households with incomes of less than $30,000 continue to experience historically high levels of food insecurity, with food insecurity up 5% since 2022.
• Australian households navigate the pressures of rising living costs by relying on credit and cutting back on the purchase of supermarket items such as dairy products, fresh food, and cleaning and personal care products, for example. 
• Higher-income households are beginning to see signs of improvement. 
• Severely food insecure households (34% with an income under $30,000) are over 2 times more likely to use coping strategies to mitigate cost of living pressures than average Australian households. This means they are often skipping meals, reducing portion sizes, or even going entire days without eating.  

Positive outcomes presented in the 2024 report data include: 

• Increased awareness of food relief services – from 34% (2023) to 47% in 2024 – however, the proportion of food-insecure households accessing formal food relief has remained relatively steady, with fear of stigma being the main barrier (48%). 
• Increased awareness of and participation in school breakfast programs among families with school-aged children. 
• Signs of food insecurity improvements in some Australian households. The proportion of households experiencing severe or moderate food insecurity decreasing to 32%, down from 36% in 2023. 

Download the full Foodbank Hunger Report 2024.

#3 Red Ribbon Appeal 2024

Support efforts to stop HIV by going red this World AIDS Day on 1 December. Get involved with ACON’s Red Ribbon Appeal to raise vital funds to end HIV stigma, prevent new HIV transmissions and support people living with HIV in NSW.

For more information about how to get involved and make an impact on the ACON website.

More Resources

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