Record numbers of Australians experiencing financial hardship are contacting crisis support services.
This comes as the ongoing cost-of-living pressures continue to impact people’s mental health.
Lifeline has received 110-thousand calls related to financial distress in 2024 to date.
This has included calls about financial management, employment and homelessness.
The service’s highest-ever daily demand was recorded on October 7, when it received 4405 calls and messages.
This overtook the previous one-day benchmark, with eight of the busiest 10 days ever recorded all seen in 2024.
Lifeline Australia chief executive Colin Seery says the service is doing everything it can to keep up with the unprecedented demand, and that there was a pressing need to invest in community-based programs that help people build financial resilience.