NTCOSS’ latest Cost of Living Factsheets reveal crisis hits territory hard as food, transport and housing prices continue to rise.
Territorians are being hit harder by surging food, transport & housing costs. NTCOSS’ Cost of Living Factsheets show Territory residents on low incomes and those living remotely are especially affected, with frontline services increasingly stretched.
NTCOSS and its members including Anglicare, Foodbank, NT Shelter, and Council of the Ageing (COTA) are calling on the Northern Territory government to ensure Territorians can meet their basic needs; to invest in the capacity of the community services sector to ease the cost of living burden; and to implement the following recommendations and those contained in the Cost of Living Factsheets.
FOOD
- Ensuring remote houses have adequate facilities to support safe food storage and preparation by providing reliable power, safe drinking water & culturally responsive design
- Funding for the social services sector that reflects the real cost of service delivery
TRANSPORT
- Increase the Motor Vehicle Concession to support people on low incomes to afford the cost of registration
- Introduce concession rates for users of remote bus services and ensure consistency of fees
HOUSING
- Improve the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT) so Territory renters have at least the same rights as the rest of Australia
- Increase the availability of youth specific housing across the NT, including establishing a Youth Foyer in Alice Springs
“We are nowhere close to servicing daily demand for requests of food vouchers and emergency relief. We could double or even triple the daily offer and still not meet demand.”
– Vicki Borzi, Manager Financial Counselling Anglicare NT
“We all know that independence is vital for seniors and having your own motor vehicle is crucial for this. The concession provided by the NT Seniors Card and NT Concessions for vehicle registration has not changed since its inception! Both need to be indexed to CPI to assist ALL Territorians with the cost of living crisis.”
– Sue Shearer, CEO Council of the Aging
“Almost 50% of the NT population are renters and the Residential Tenancies Act plays a crucial role in safeguarding the rights of NT renters and landlords alike. We need to bring the NT Act in line with other jurisdictions by ensuring minimum standards for rental premises and the establishment of an independent bond board.
Young people at risk of homelessness need a variety of affordable and appropriate housing options tailored to their unique needs and one model that has proven successful around Australia and overseas is the Youth Foyer approach. Youth Foyers house young people for up to two years while they study or train. The overwhelming majority of tenants who leave the Foyer program exit into work and stable housing.
As we’ve long said, 30% of all land released by the Crown for residential use should be for social and affordable housing. This would mean the creation of more well-located affordable housing which has a number of benefits, including adequately housed key workers located where the jobs are.”
– Annie Taylor, Head of Operations NT Shelter
“The NTCOSS Cost of Living report highlights what Foodbank is seeing at our Alice Springs and Darwin sites. In the last year, we have seen a 35% increase in demand for food assistance, with many working families now seeking food assistance for the first time. Housing, costs of food and utility prices are all quoted as the main reasons for these people now finding themselves unable to feed their families.
We are also receiving an unprecedented number of requests from regional and remote communities and schools to provide support.”
– Greg Pattinson, CEO Foodbank SA & NT
“NTCOSS members are increasingly stretched and losing their capacity to meet ever growing demands. As the peak body for frontline services we’re eager to work with the new government on cost of living pressures and the root causes of crime.”
– Sally Sievers, CEO Northern Territory Council of Social Service
Media Contact: Morgan Rickard – 0491 811 233 or media-sectorsupport@ntcoss.org.au