Some young children are missing school because their parents cannot afford petrol, the latest liveability report from the Queensland Council of Social Service reveals.
“Sadly, this has become the norm for more and more families,” QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh said.
“We are now seeing a generation of children growing up in poverty through no fault of their parents.
“They simply cannot afford to pay for necessities such as food, electricity, fuel and rent.”
Some Queensland children are missing school because their parents cannot afford the petrol to drive them.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
The report found Queensland parents are forgoing meals to ensure their children are fed, cannot afford medication, and are replacing nutritious food with cheaper, less healthy options.
Some families are even having trouble getting their children to school because of the cost of fuel, McVeigh said.
“So many children are not being afforded a childhood,” she said.
McVeigh said the government’s current cost of living relief measures had made a difference for families, but more was needed.
The council is calling on the government, ahead of October’s state election, to extend free kindergarten to three-year-old children, improve access to financial counselling services for families and introduce rent price caps.