It depends which group of people they are referring to.
If it's those that have government assisted accomodation then my sympathy level drops dramatically. I respect there are those who genuinely try to forward themselves but just can't seem to get traction to stay ahead.
Then there are those who don't know, or don't care, to make an effort to further their resources. These are those mentioned here. They smoke, drink, want to live a consumers' life and then whinge that welfare isn't enough.
One report caught my eye. It mentioned that food had gone up about 15% since 2010 whereas confectionary had only gone up 4%.
That's selective ignorant reporting at its best. It's been clearly noted on this forum numerous times how cheap unprocessed food can be obtained with minimal effort. And you don't need expert culinary skills to turn the food into tasty meals. So if carrots are $1.20 a kilo they went up a whopping 20c in 3 yrs @ 20% increase. Or, say, broccoli is $4.95 a kilo, a whopping 45c. Yet...a rip off packet of milky bars is the best part of $4.50 for, if you're lucky, 200gr, that's $22.50 a kilo. Or Coles brand chips at $2 for about 175g is a out $11.50 a kilo and the comparison goes on.
The amount of specials is mind blowing. I don't think I've paid full price for any grocery for a long time. Also...some may complain that Coles bananas are $4.50 a kilo, yet at my centre there is a veg place that is literally withing spitting distance of their enterance that sells them for $2.99 a kilo. That's an approximate 33% saving by opting out of Coles for the veg place or a 50% increase if you overlook the veg place due to not being bothered and buying them at Coles.
I reiterate that food is not expensive as the only excuse for skipping meals. When coupled with genuine efforts to provide your own accomodation and utility expenses, then an argument may exist. As long as one is not living a consumers' life. And I don't mean you have to live with candles. Just be aware that the cents soon add up to large dollars.
Also, in Perth we had our gas and power too cheap. But I accept the rapid rises have been more about shortfalls in certain budgets due to economic conditions emptying the money tree, more so than the need to cover true operating costs. But that's another forum!
