Australia’s first Masterchef winner Julie Goodwin has confronted the reality of living below the poverty line for nine days in a new SBS documentary.

Despite having relied on welfare payments herself in her youth, Ms Goodwin told Deborah Knight she was still “stunned” by what she saw and heard during the filming of Could You Survive On the Breadline?

“For me it was less about what I had to endure … and far more about the people I got to meet, and actually getting to listen to people’s stories and their truth, their reality.

“So many of them have to rely on charitable donations to be able to put food on the table.

“One medical bill, one flat tyre, one blowout in expenses of that nature and … you don’t get to eat.”

Press PLAY below to hear the full interview

Could You Survive On the Breadline? premieres this Wednesday on SBS.