SBS has today announced its controversial series looking at Australians living below the poverty line, Struggle Street, will return to screens on Tuesday the 28th of November.
In the two years since SBS aired Struggle Street, an observational documentary series highlighting some of the issues facing Australia’s most disadvantaged communities, the country remains at crisis point with unemployment, homelessness, rising drug use, mental illness, soaring rents and declining industries among the complex issues that affect people across Australia today.
Check out a trailer to the upcoming series below:
Marshall Heald, SBS television and online content director, said, “The new series of Struggle Street offers a raw and unflinching portrayal of struggle and hardship and makes for difficult viewing, but these are the stories we need to hear most. The purpose of the program is to raise awareness about social and economic hardship in Australia today and deepen our understanding of the challenges facing us as a community.”
Filmed in 2016 over six months in Queensland and Victoria, the new series of Struggle Street will continue an important national discussion about the impacts of social and economic disadvantage in Australia today. Told through personal stories that touch on the lives of a diverse group of Australians struggling against the odds, the documentary is an honest reflection of what it’s like to be doing it tough in Australia.
Over two weeks, the series will delve deeper into some of the key social issues that are affecting millions of Australians. It explores the challenges facing nearly one million working Australians who live on the poverty line; the damaging impact of the decline in manufacturing industries; homelessness, particularly among women aged 55+, as rent and house prices continue to rise; the financial difficulties facing Australia’s disability carers; the ramifications of illicit drug use and, the daily challenges facing those who live with mental and physical illness.
The first series of Struggle Street ignited national debate around these issues, helping Australians to better understand the realities of social and economic hardship. Series two will continue this crucial national conversation.
In order to raise further awareness of the help available to Australians affected by the issues raised in the series, SBS is working with a number of charities and organisations who will provide further context, information and resources, as well as contributing to on-air discussion shows. The partners include the Social Policy Research Centre, the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and Beyond Blue.
Associate Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre said, “Struggle Street series two presents a sobering view of life for many Australians living with mental illness, alcohol or other drug use, and additional challenges…not just those who appear in the documentary. I hope Australia views the people in these stories with compassion, and a realisation that they are doing the best they can with what life has presented them with. I also hope they appreciate the incredible resiliency these people have, and are moved by their stories. I commend SBS for their work on this important documentary.”
