The Wire

Australia could be harbouring a new class of people: the white collar poor. That’s the picture of modern life that’s been revealed by the Wesley Mission’s study into financial stress. Released today, the research looked at stress created by household debt and budgeting, and found that 81 per cent of people surveyed had been frazzled by their finances in the last six years. The report also noted financial anxiety contributed in some cases to broken relationships, violence and drug abuse. The CEO of the Wesley Mission in Sydney, The Reverend Keith Garner spoke to The Wire about what prompted the study in the first place.