Media Coverage
11 February, 2026; Institute of Community Directors Australia
The ballooning cost-of-living crisis is affecting Australian families to the extent that many parents are having to choose between essential items and educational expenses, unable to pay for both, according to Good360 Australia.
The charity, which redirects unsold goods to almost 5000 local schools and charities across the nation, admits it cannot currently meet the needs of all the struggling families unable to cover everything from digital learning tools and internet costs, to more baseline school needs, such as uniforms, drink bottles, lunchboxes, pencils and pens.
A new report from Good360 Australia titled Learning without Essentials: Education inequality in Australia and the cost of going without brings together some alarming statistics that combine to show how the educational opportunities of many children are threatened.
Almost 40 per cent of Australian parents reported that they were worried about being able to afford essential educational items heading into the 2026 school year. The expense of digital tools like laptops, tablets and internet access was the major concern (24 per cent of parents), followed by stress about how to afford uniforms, shoes and clothing (22 per cent), books, stationery and other supplies (14 per cent) and even lunch boxes and drink bottles (9 per cent).
Read the full article over at Institute of Community Directors Australia.
