financial hardship – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

October 10, 2024

Australia’s child support system can put single mothers at risk of poverty and financial abuse

Kay Cook, Swinburne University of Technology; Adrienne Byrt, Swinburne University of Technology; Ashlea Coen, Swinburne University of Technology, and Marg Rogers, University of New England

Drawing on the experiences of 675 single mothers, our research found the current system is failing those most vulnerable.

May 7, 2023

The case for boosting JobSeeker for all: younger people report greater financial hardship

Peter Siminski, University of Technology Sydney and Gianni La Cava, Macquarie University

Should people aged 55 and over get a targeted boost to their JobSeeker payments? Our research suggests the need among young Australians may well be greater.

Single mothers are more likely than single fathers to have their debts discharged in court. Heide Benser/Getty Images

March 4, 2022

Your chances of getting rid of student loan debt depend on who you are

Kelsey Lynne Hess, Florida International University; Andrea C. F. Wolfs, Plymouth State University; Deborah Goldfarb, Florida International University, and Jacqueline R. Evans, Florida International University

When researchers examined the outcomes for cases to discharge student loan debt, they found that judges are often biased against people based on their gender and other factors.

Women’s March 4 Justice in Melbourne, March 2021. James Ross/AAP

September 6, 2021

Young Australian women in financial hardship are twice to three times as likely to experience violence

Alice Campbell, The University of Queensland and Janeen Baxter, The University of Queensland

Research undertaken for the National Summit on Women’s Safety has found one in four young Australian women in financial hardship experienced abuse from a current or former partner.

April 20, 2021

Sometimes people can do with a break: 3 ways tax debt relief rules are too tough

Ann Kayis-Kumar, UNSW Sydney; Kevin O'Rourke, UNSW Sydney, and Michael Walpole, UNSW Sydney

Australia’s tax relief rules are outdated. Here are three key points for reform.

Americas’ financial desperation can be seen in the soaring demand for food assistance. AP Photo/John Minchillo

February 18, 2021

Americans still need a lifeline despite trillions in coronavirus aid

Mary G. Findling, Harvard University; John M. Benson, Harvard University, and Robert J. Blendon, Harvard University

A survey of the impact of the first few rounds of coronavirus aid shows that most of those who lost jobs or wages due to the pandemic were facing severe economic hardship.

Businesses are structuring their lending practices to exploit loopholes in consumer credit laws. Shutterstock

April 12, 2019

Four common debt traps: payday loans, consumer leases, blackmail securities and credit ‘management’

Saurav Dutta, Curtin University; Harjinder Singh, Curtin University, and Nigar Sultana, Curtin University

Here are the four common lending practices identified by the Australian inquiry into credit and financial services targeted at those at risk of financial hardship.

Unemployment and underemployment, as well as physical and mental health problems, were the most common experiences of people falling behind on debts. Shutterstock

February 25, 2019

What 1,100 Australians told us about living with debt they can’t repay

Evgenia Bourova, The University of Melbourne; Ian Ramsay, The University of Melbourne, and Paul Ali, The University of Melbourne

Australia’s first large-scale study on the experiences of people in financial hardship contradict the idea most debt problems are due to poor choices.

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