Australians are doing it tough. Cost-of-living challenges are biting and more households are experiencing financial stress.

In regional Australia the pressures can be even greater.

Foodbank's 2026 Hunger Report found 36 per cent of regional Australian households experienced food insecurity, compared with 32 per cent in metropolitan areas.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows financial stress is higher in outer regional Australia than in major cities.

Yet despite these pressures, the Australian government has ended its financial contribution to one of the most important tools people use to find help.

Ask Izzy is Australia's most comprehensive directory of support services.

It brings more than 500,000 service listings into one place, helping people find food relief, housing, financial assistance, mental health support, family violence services and other essential help based on where they are and what they need.

It is free, anonymous and designed for people who may be in crisis.

More than 20 leading social service organisations, including Foodbank, OzHarvest, Mission Australia, The Smith Family, St Vincent de Paul and UnitingCare Australia, have launched the Help Ask Izzy campaign with an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for the funding to be restored.

More than 300 organisations are backing the campaign, and almost 4000 Australians have written to their MPs.

Politicians from across the parliament have written to relevant ministers, and Ask Izzy has featured in the media and in recent Senate estimates hearings.

It is not hard to see why. Last financial........

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