Rising house prices and economic insecurity have been identified as the primary culprits for Australia’s low birthrate, but don’t believe the hype, says Claudia Curac, a 27-year-old mother of four under five, from Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast. “I always say this to people, but kids really don’t cost anything if they don’t have to,” she says. “You don’t have to get them expensive items of clothing, and you don’t have to get them the top of the range.
You make cuts and sacrifices.” Jervis Bay mum Claudia Curac and husband Corey with their children, Ziggy, 18 months, twins Atlas and Ella, 3, and Flynn, 5. Credit: Madison Watson According to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, families like Curac’s are becoming less common.
Total births have fallen to a 17-year low, while the fertility rate has fallen to a record low 1.5, well below the replacement rate of 2.1.
Curac and her husband, Corey, 30, both wanted to start their family young. She thinks social media, which pushes expensive and unnecessary products onto parents, is partly to blame for the perception that kids are expensive. As an influencer, she recognises the irony in this, but says she makes a point of promoting low-cost options, including prams and toys from Kmart, to her followers.
Buying from op shops, on Facebook Marketplace and at community swaps, and taking advantage of sales, is another way she has minimised costs. And she says her youngest child, Ziggy, cost very little .
