Tackling the cost of living in Macnamara

Southbank is a beautiful place to live, and in my many conversations with you, I know that the people of Southbank love this community.  

However, I also understand that many people in our community are doing it tough. 

Young people have been telling me how difficult it is to find an affordable place to live while studying.  

Renters have raised how much pressure the increase in rent have put on their household budgets.

Parents have raised concerns with me about the increasing cost of groceries and childcare. 

First homeowners are struggling to pay off their mortgage repayments with rates increasing. 

A once-in-100-year pandemic, conflict overseas, a global inflation spike and higher interest rates has meant that cost of living pressures have been felt right across our community. 

While inflation is easing, I know it’s been hard for members of our community, and so many of my conversations over the past year have been advocating for much-needed relief to ease some of that pressure. 

No matter who you are, what you do for work or where you live, under our fairer and updated tax reform, every Australian taxpayer will be getting a tax cut on July 1. 

The changes we have made to the tax cuts means that everyone gets to keep a bit more of the money that they earn, not just the higher earners. 

If you are working in tech earning $100,000 a year you will be getting a tax cut of $2179, that’s more than $800 more than you would have been getting under Scott Morrison’s plan. 

If your household income is $150,000 a year, you could be getting a tax cut of $3108.

I know changes like this will make a real difference to so many members of our community who are under the pump. 

As we dive into 2024, hearing from our community about what we can do more of to ease cost of living relief is one of my priorities. 

I already have heard concerns about the price of groceries and increasing supermarket costs, which is why the Prime Minister announced that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will be launching a 12-month investigation into supermarket prices. 

This inquiry will look at how major supermarkets cost their products and what can be done to make sure that prices are fair for both the customers and the producers. 

The tax cuts and the ACCC inquiry come on top of delivering cheaper medicines, energy-bill relief, and cheaper childcare. 

In fact, this year is Medicare’s 40th birthday. It was a Labor government that created Medicare and I am proud to be part of a Labor government today that has saved Macnamara $1,785,199 on cheaper medicines in the past year.

Many in our community are struggling, and I won’t deny that there isn’t more to do, but I am proud of the steps we have taken so far to ease some of that cost-of-living pressures. 

I know how important easing the cost of living is to many in our community, and I will keep listening and working to help people ease their financial pressures. •