The research project Living Realities – Understanding Life on Low Income in WA was undertaken to amplify the voices of Western Australians experiencing financial insecurity. People on the lowest incomes are frequently deprived of life’s basic necessities, yet their experiences are often missing from public and policy discussions. The project seeks to reframe the conversation – putting lived experience at the centre.
To achieve this, WACOSS and Murdoch University partnered with eight Western Australians living on low incomes to document their experiences. Using a narrative inquiry method, participants were invited to share their perspectives through in-depth interviews which were published as case studies. At every stage of the research, participants had control over how their experiences were represented, ensuring they retained ownership of their narratives. These case studies have been published in two reports – Part One and Part Two.
The participants – Clara, Heather, Andy, Anita, Lucas, Kate, Matilda and Leo – shared their experiences with courage, insight and generosity. Their voices drive this project and offer a powerful lens into the realities of life on low income.
Part Three is the final instalment of the research series. This report brings together the reflections and lived experiences of the participants, identifying patterns and themes across individual accounts of life on low income. Together with the case studies, this report is intended to inform policy development and practice by grounding issues from the perspective of lived experience – showing the human cost of economic disadvantage and system failure.
Key themes explored in the report are: the material sacrifices people make to get by and their lasting impacts; the emotional strain of living on a low income; the effort and creativity required to survive; systemic obstacles to accessing support; the importance of family, friends, neighbours and community; priorities for reform, and participants’ aspirations for the future.
Participants identified that the following would make material difference to their lives:
- Access to income that reflects the cost of living, including through:
- Increased income support payments and wages
- Subsidies for essential services
- Flexible work
- Access to childcare
- Coordination between support systems to ensure access to one support does not mean losing another that is still needed
- Secure and affordable housing
- Flexible, early and compassionate supports
Living on low income is not just a matter of getting by – it is a constant negotiation with systems that too often work against, rather than for, those most in need. The lived experiences shared here reveal the everyday reality of people navigating broken systems and fiercely protecting their dignity. These are not isolated stories of coping, but repeated accounts of caring, strategy, quiet defiance, and hope for a fairer future.
A Call to Action
This report centres the voices of those living on low incomes. Their experiences reveal not only the hardship of surviving in a system that often works against them, but also the insight, care and vision they bring to imagining something better. Embedding lived experience into policymaking and valuing the knowledge of those most affected is a critical step towards a fairer, more compassionate society where support enables people not only to survive, but to thrive. The participants involved in this study have clearly articulated systemic changes that would meaningfully improve their lives and the lives of many others. The challenge now is for decision-makers to listen – and act.