A new parliamentary friendship group co-chaired by Alicia Payne will focus on how the Federal Parliament can tackle poverty, as the Canberra MP hears increasingly from constituents who are living "on the edge".
"People often view Canberra as a relatively well off place and we have relatively high average incomes, and low unemployment," Ms Payne said.
"But what I hear from my community is people are really struggling and on the edge."
Liberal MP Bridget Archer will also co-chair Parliamentary Friends of Ending Poverty, which will be a forum for parliamentarians to connect with government and non-government organisations on the issue of poverty.
Ms Payne, who supports an increase to the JobSeeker payment, said the topic "will be part of discussions we have here".
"I do believe that the evidence is clear: we need to increase the JobSeeker payment," she said.
"It's clear that people can't live on these low amounts."
The organisers of a street pantry in Canberra's north said quality of life "is just getting worse and worse for people".
Margaret and Paul McGrath supply food, clothing and furniture to the community at no cost from their garage in Ngunnawal.
"There's a lot of poverty, there's a big gap between the haves and the have-nots," Mr McGrath said.
But as demand increases, fewer people can afford the gold coin donations which keep their garage shelves stocked.
The couple have also been frustrated by a growing number of referrals to them by charities and not-for-profits, which receive government funding and have more resources.
The parliamentary friendship group has already been criticised for failing to consult people experiencing poverty ahead of its launch.
"We feel endlessly frustrated and disappointed by the fact that people in poverty are never given a central or leading role in discussions about our lives, about what's necessary to support us and about what's necessary to achieve that change," Kristin O'Connell, a spokesperson for the The Antipoverty Centre said.
The centre is run by advocates with lived experience of poverty.
"I note that it's not a friendship group for people in poverty," Ms O'Connell said, referring to the name Parliamentary Friends of Ending Poverty.
"They have managed to dehumanise us to the point that we're not even named in the group name itself."
Ms Payne said she was very keen to hear from people with lived experience of poverty through the group.
