"I'm not sure I will survive": Elderly woman's devastating cost of living confession
An elderly woman has shared a devastating confession about her living costs, revealing she is struggling to survive as the cost of living continues to rise.
Pat Isaacs, from the Central West town of Orange, says she is in a constant state of anxiety as she battles with rising prices while living on the Age Pension payments.
The 78-year-old doesn't have any superannuation or investments and relies solely on the government payments of just $900 a fortnight.
Pat lives on a vegetarian diet because she can't afford to buy meat, never buys new clothes, and luxury expenses such as alcohol and cigarettes are completely out of the question.
As grocery prices have increased in recent months, she has struggled to stretch her money beyond the essentials.
"Long term, I'm not sure I will survive," she said.
"What would (Prime Minister) Scomo and his mates know about my reality? They get a third of my week's income for meal allowance each day."
"They are so out of touch with real issues."
Pat is not alone in her frustrations, as it is estimated 1.5 million older Australians rely on the age pension as their main source of income, which equates to just over $900 a fortnight for singles or just over $25,000 annually.
Shockingly, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed countless pensioners have endured the highest annual increase in living costs in 16 years.
Ian Henschke is the Chief Advocate for National Seniors, a not-for-profit organisation campaigning for better outcomes for older Australians, and is devoting his time to advocating for the needs of seniors on both a state and federal level.
"We've got pensioners living in poverty and they are out of sight, out of mind," Henschke told Nine News.
"And no one is caring about it. The age pension is not adequate to provide for all Australians."
Image credits: Daily Mail Australia / Getty Images