Income coming in, money going out — bills, food, banking, debt, savings, tax, super.

Why it matters: Two-thirds of Australian households say they're worse off than two years ago. 3.7 million sit below the poverty line. The fastest-growing group seeking emergency relief is employed Australians who can't make ends meet. Structural relief is what citizens consistently ask for; the system mostly delivers one-off rebates.

What it looks like across cohorts

Highest-leverage ideas

• No-wrong-door hardship intake (small) — single online + phone intake fanning out applications to energy, water, telco, council rates and food relief. (i003)
• Real-cost-of-living dashboard (small) — public dashboard of weekly basket costs by region with rebate-uptake stats. (i004)
• Super-finder default (small) — auto-consolidate lost super under $10k unless opted out. (i009)
• Newcomer credit-history bridge (small) — government-backed credit file for migrants in first 24 months. (i034)
• DVA claims auto-track (small) — real-time SMS + portal with named case-officer. (i047)
• Youth Allowance to MTAWE (medium) — lift Youth Allowance toward minimum wage, indexed. (i071)
• Carer super top-up (small) — government-funded super on paid leave for primary carers. (i085)
• Childcare deduction at source (small) — CCS direct-deduct from gap-fee invoice. (i084)

Sources

• Citizen Voice 2025 — Cost of Living section
• ACOSS Poverty in Australia
• Foodbank Hunger Report
• Anglicare Cost of Living Index
• Productivity Commission, RoGS (Community Services)