You’re invited to join Q+A as part of the live studio audience Monday, 20th November at ABC Sydney Studios, Ultimo at 8.40pm.

This week on Q+A… Australia’s cost-of-living crisis. As families battle to make ends meet, navigating the tough economic climate and a raft of rate rises, it’s set to be a bleak festive season for some. How much more pressure can they take?

With home ownership now dubbed “the preserve of the rich” and the pandemic, inflation and low rental vacancies creating a “perfect storm” for young people, it’s the next generation who are taking the brunt of the cost crunch. What can the government do to help without adding to the inflation issue?

Meanwhile, online security is again front of mind with an attack that closed ports across the nation and the annual cyber threat report revealing that more Australians than ever say they’re being attacked by cybercriminals. Are Australia’s cyber defences strong enough? Or are we being left exposed to international hackers?

The alarming report comes after an outage from Optus left millions of customers in the dark and the company facing a potential class action. The telco giant is offering free data to those affected, but is that enough?

All this plus news of the week!

Joining Patricia Karvelas on the panel:

Stephen Jones, Assistant Treasurer & Minister for Financial Services

Intifar Chowdhury, Youth Researcher & ANU Academic

Chris Richardson, Economist

Dean Smith, Liberal Senator for WA

Monique Ryan, Independent member for Kooyong

Please note this is the last Q+A program broadcasting from Sydney for 2023.

The audience arrival time is 8.40pm in Ultimo, Sydney.

To join the audience, register at www.abc.net.au/qanda/studio-audience/ and write ESA NSW in the last question so we can prioritise your interest.

Q+A will be in touch if you successfully secure a seat.