Cost of living

The cost of living crisis comes on the back of years of hardship in our Lindsay community as we survived COVID-19, floods, and fires.

With rate rises, rental hikes, sky high energy and grocery bills biting hard this winter, now people with solid incomes and stable jobs are seeking support to make ends meet.

I held a roundtable with local charity services and they told me the call for help is widening, but they are struggling too.

Sadly, as demand for crisis accommodation and basic essentials donations surges, high prices mean their ability to meet demand weakens with rising overheads.

Not enough is being done to address the causes of distress so many are feeling, with housing and food insecurity leading to mental health issues.

What is clear is that the Albanese Government doesn’t get how to help Australians feeling the crunch.

A $275 energy rebate to bring relief for some, but not all, with hard-working Australians missing out.

Then there’s the Housing Australia Future Fund proposal, to borrow $10 billion dollars to take a punt at best on the share market, which might build 30,000 social or affordable homes in 5 years.

If Labor believed in their policy so strongly, why wasn’t it in their Budget? People need to have confidence that government policies will help them, and not be another broken promise.

Only building a strong economy will bring down prices, build more housing, strengthen our social safety net, and keep people from slipping through the cracks.