Australian families under severe financial strain: survey

Australian households are going without food and medicines as cost of living pressures take hold, it was reported on Thursday.

Soaring electricity prices plus the high cost of petrol and food are the biggest concerns for consumers, according to a survey by peak consumer group Choice.

More than 80 percent of respondents worried about the price of power in the June quarter, making it the most worrying item for households.

Electricity prices have soared in Australia over the past four years and there have been several deaths from poisonous gases and house fires caused this winter by people using portable barbeques.

Gavin Dufty from charity St Vincent de Paul said more families were unable to afford essentials.

"One of the things we find is there's a bigger bill load at certain times of the year, so households feel cost pressures at different times," he told AAP.

"Some households are unable to pay for essential services so they get disconnected when big winter energy bills come around."

The latest Consumer Pulse Report, released on Thursday by Choice, said 78 percent of Australian consumers were worried about the price of fuel, with the same proportion concerned about food and grocery prices.

"Households will go without things," Dufty said.

"Some parents will go without food so the kids can eat. Older people will not fill their (medical) prescriptions."

Choice chief executive Alan Kirkland said in a statement cost pressures were affecting households across the board.

"Renters, low-income households and the unemployed (are) most likely to be struggling, and families with school-aged kids the group most concerned about rising household expenses," he said.

Nine out of 10 families with school-aged children said bills increased in the last 12 months, while 74 percent of parents with children under five are worried about childcare fees they pay when they have to go to work. Endi