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UPDATE: Our latest cost of living research is now live:

Under Pressure, a report from Parents for Climate in collaboration with the Climate Council examines how extreme weather is driving up insurance bills and finds parents are worried that climate change will make our cost of living crisis even worse.

 

Click here to read our 2024 report

Or read on to see our 2022 report...

 

Our report, The Real Cost of Living, reveals the sacrifices Australian families are making due to rising costs, and that now is the time to accelerate the household clean energy solutions that reduce household bills.

 

 

Key findings

We surveyed over 1,000 households across Australia and uncovered a cost of living crisis, with families hit by increasing prices for food, electricity, gas, housing and petrol.

In order to manage costs, many families are making sacrifices including:

  • purchasing lower quality food,
  • reducing travel to visit friends and family, and
  • reducing their energy bills by limiting heater usage in winter.

Lower income families were more likely to have made changes to manage rising living costs, while many families experienced anxiety and stress. Lower income households are the worst hit, with almost 10% of respondents reporting they are accumulating debt to manage rising energy bills.

Solution are readily available

We found that 95% of families – both renters and homeowners – want greater government investment and support in the form of rebates to make energy efficient solutions like solar and electric vehicles more accessible.

We know that energy efficiency, rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and household electrification can save families thousands, shielding them from skyrocketing energy bills.

We’re asking our politicians to ensure that everyone can access these clean energy technologies, particularly renters and those on lower incomes.

 

 

Take Action: Make your voice heard

Help us get this report in front of every politician in the country and create the change we want to see!

Australia is already a world leader in rooftop solar. Now is time for the next step. We need support for a rapid uptake of electric vehicles, household batteries and the removal of expensive gas appliances from family homes. It's a critical moment to affect key state and federal decisions. Will you show your MP the report findings?

Together we can convince our leaders to create real, long-term relief from cost of living pressures, whilst also reducing emissions. But we need to act now.

Follow the guides below for Australian and Victorian representatives

 

 

With the federal budget being announced this month, now is the right time to ask our federal government to step up and help families survive the cost of living crisis.

Read the report, or take action below.

 

Take Action

Your Member of Parliament was elected to represent your community: Help put this report in front of your federal MP.

 

Step 1

Find your federal Member of Parliament's contact details. You can find your MP's details here!

 

Step 2

Get this report on their radar. You can do this by:

or all of the above!

 

Step 3

Let us know how you go. Take 1 minute to tell us about your experience. This will help us follow up and track progress with your MP.

 

Remember: Always keep it friendly

Parents for Climate seeks to build long-term and constructive relationships with our leaders, not by shouting from the rooftops. And remember, most MP's are parents as well!

 

Here’s a draft email you could use:

 

Dear (your MP's name) MP,

As a constituent of yours, I'm writing to introduce a report produced by Parents for Climate on The Real Cost of Living: How the energy crisis is hurting Australian families.

Parents for Climate surveyed over 1,000 households and discovered a cost of living crisis, with families hit by increasing prices for food, electricity, gas, housing and petrol. They found parents making sacrifices in the quality of food they purchase, reducing travel to friends or grandparents, and reducing their energy use, including limiting heater usage across winter. Lower income families were harder hit, and parents across the country are experiencing increased anxiety, stress and time pressure.

Clean energy in the home and the grid coupled with energy efficiency measures provide long-term solutions. The removal of gas from the home and addition of clean energy technology like rooftop solar, household batteries and electric vehicles can save families thousands of dollars a year. AP4CA found that 95% of families – both renters and homeowners – want greater government investment and support in the form of rebates to make energy efficient solutions like solar and electric vehicles more accessible. I ask that you support a rapid rollout of these clean energy technologies, with an emphasis on ensuring renters and lower income families benefit as well.

I ask that you introduce this report and its findings at your next party meeting, and discuss how you can support household clean energy technologies as ready solution to reducing emissions while providing long-term tangible benefit for families experiencing the cost of living crisis.

You can read the report in full here.

I look forward to hearing your response

Kind regards,

(your name)

(your street and suburb)

 

With the Victorian election imminent, now is the right time to ask our Victorian government to step up and help families survive the cost of living crisis.

Read the report, or take action below.

 

Take Action

Your Member of Parliament was elected to represent your community: Help put this report in front of your Victorian MP.

Step 1

Find your federal Member of Parliament's contact details. You can find your MP's details here!

Step 2

Get this report on their radar. You can do this by:

or all of the above!

Step 3

Let us know how you go. Take 1 minute to tell us about your experience. This will help us follow up and track progress with your MP.

Remember: Always keep it friendly

Parents for Climate seeks to build long-term and constructive relationships with our leaders, not by shouting from the rooftops. And remember, most MP's are parents as well!

 

Here’s a draft email you could use:

 

Dear (your MP's name) MP,

As a constituent of yours, I'm writing to introduce a report produced by Parents for Climate on The Real Cost of Living: How the energy crisis is hurting Australian families.

Parents for Climate surveyed over 1,000 households and discovered a cost of living crisis, with families hit by increasing prices for food, electricity, gas, housing and petrol. They found parents making sacrifices in the quality of food they purchase, reducing travel to friends or grandparents, and reducing their energy use, including limiting heater usage across winter. Lower income families were harder hit, and parents across the country are experiencing increased anxiety, stress and time pressure.

Clean energy in the home and the grid coupled with energy efficiency measures provide long-term solutions. The removal of gas from the home and addition of clean energy technology like rooftop solar, household batteries and electric vehicles can save families thousands of dollars a year. AP4CA found that 95% of families – both renters and homeowners – want greater government investment and support in the form of rebates to make energy efficient solutions like solar and electric vehicles more accessible. I ask that you support a rapid rollout of these clean energy technologies, with an emphasis on ensuring renters and lower income families benefit as well.

I ask that you introduce this report and its findings at your next party meeting, and discuss how you can support household clean energy technologies as ready solution to reducing emissions while providing long-term tangible benefit for families experiencing the cost of living crisis.

You can read the report in full here.

I look forward to hearing your response

Kind regards,

(your name)

(your street and suburb)