Sydney, Sep 9 (IANS): Over half of households in the Australian state of Queensland are struggling to afford food, bills and petrol, a report found on Monday.

The Queensland Council of Social Services (QCOSS), the peak body for the state's social service sector, published its 2024 Living Affordability Report, revealing that 60 per cent of households are living below basic standards, Xinhua news agency reported.

It found that Queensland parents are increasingly skipping meals to ensure their children are fed, can not afford medication and are replacing nutritious food with cheaper, less healthy options.

"Households are neglecting their health needs due to out-of-pocket costs or are enduring extreme financial hardship to cover essential medical expenses," the report said. "Concerningly people are experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression due to financial stress."

Queensland is Australia's third-largest state with a population of 5.5 million as of the end of 2023, representing 20.4 per cent of the national population.

The report said that parents are unable to afford school camps and extracurricular activities for their children.

QCOSS modelling shows that an average single working parent in Queensland has a weekly budget deficit of 156.93 Australian dollars ($104.7). For an average couple with two children, it estimated a weekly budget deficit of 116.06 Australian dollars ($77.5).

Both are improvements from 2023 deficits, but the report said they would grow worse when short-term government measures aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures expire.

The report identified housing as the biggest expenditure for all types of households, with all those modelled in the report spending more than 37 per cent of their income on mortgage repayments or rent.