Sole parents like me are at the frontline of the cost-of-living crisis. Will Albanese right the wrongs of his predecessors?

‘Sole parents devote their lives to caring for their children and yet we continue to be overlooked – not only by society but our own government.’ Photograph: Discha-AS/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Each year life gets harder for the millions of Australians relying on welfare payments to survive, many of whom are now staring down poverty and homelessness thanks to the cost-of-living crisis.

Year after year we hear calls to lift government spending to create an adequate safety net for those doing it tough. Year after year we hear the same excuses – not now, try again next year.