Financial disadvantage continues to afflict many Australians, yet Australia

remains one of the few countries in the world lacking official poverty measures

and targets (BSL 2025). The most recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

report (2025) highlights increasing levels of financial stress amongst the population,

rising from 18 per cent in 2021-22 to about 21 per cent of those aged 15 and above

in 2023. Those groups experiencing the highest levels of financial stress include

single parents (43 per cent), renters (37 per cent), and those who had experienced

a major injury or illness in the past year (31 per cent). A sizeable one in 20 (4.9 per

cent) reported missing out on meals, an increase from 3.3 per cent in 2019. The

AIHW opined that financial stress can directly trigger raised levels of ‘psychological

distress, anxiety and depression’ (AIHW 2025: 42).