A 26-year-old psychology student on Australia's Gold Coast says he has been forced to live in his car in order to keep studying, after a sharp rent increase left him unable to afford housing on his government support payments. Jadon Lukas moved out of his share house in July after his rent rose by $80 a week, and now survives on a strict $10 daily food budget while relying on the Austudy welfare payment to fund his degree. The case highlights growing concerns about the affordability of student living costs in Australia amid rising rents and living expenses.

Mr Lukas receives $750 a fortnight through Austudy and plans to remain living in his car for at least another two months while completing the second year of his degree. He limits himself to two meals a day, often heating cheap food such as tinned tuna and microwavable rice in convenience store microwaves, and uses gym or beach facilities to shower. He said he studies 50 to 60 hours a week, leaving no time for paid work, and although he could move in with his mother in New South Wales, he has chosen to stay and finish his studies, adding that he does not want pity as others face harder circumstances.