Young Australians are struggling, but improving their lives doesn’t come at the expense of older generations

‘For young Australians, their demands are modest, and familiar … the opportunity for decent work, a secure home, choices about family formation and free education,’ says Alison Pennington. Photograph: Cassandra Hannagan/Getty Images

That life has become extremely hard for young people in Australia is clear. Born during or after the 1980s, when governments began radically restructuring the economy to prioritise private gains over public good, millennials and Gen Z have only known their country as harsh and self-interested.

This cohort entered a job market teeming with insecure work and disposable labour, a welfare system geared to create low wages, and a housing system designed to generate income for investors and landlords, rather than house people.