Sometimes you find hope in the most extraordinary places, a ray of light in the darkest of times. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brotherhood of St Laurence launched an initiative to find out how people were coping. It wanted to hear from those who were unemployed, those who had recently lost their jobs, single mothers, young people and those at risk of homelessness.

What we found was startling. Instead of despair and pessimism there were stories of hope, even of transformation. One family told us that for the first time they were able to eat three meals a day. Previously there were only three or four days in the week when they all could afford to eat meals. Sitting down to breakfast together each morning was a new experience.

A father of two young children, Tim, told us that for the first time he could afford nappies and formula for his seven-month-old, food and clothes for his three-year-old and still have enough for himself and his wife to eat well. Others have spoken about being able to afford fresh food for the first time, of being able to buy their medicines and pay their rent on time.

The difference? It has been the government’s $550 coronavirus supplement. It’s a government policy that should be applauded. It has taken a global pandemic to expose the inadequacies of our nation’s social security payments. It has taken COVID-19 to decimate our economy and create unprecedented levels of unemployment for our leaders to understand the rates are just too low.