NSW VOTES 2023

Q&A: HOW WILL YOU EASE

By Yvonne Gardiner

LISMORE Janelle Saffin (Labor)

I would love to wave the magic wand that is always talked about to lower food and fuel prices, energy bills, and interest rate hikes if you are a homeowner, but know that I cannot control this.

I did however back in a law that had full support, at the last parliamentary sitting day of 2022, that will bring some electricity price relief but not until July this year. This sits beside the Federal Government’s law and the resources it brings from them.

I strongly support some relief measures that enjoy widespread and bipartisan support, including Back to School vouchers, Active Kids, Creative Kids, Seniors transport cards, Regional Student and Apprentice Travel Card program, and the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme.

And, of course, I back in the relief that people can get through our community services that help with energy bills, food relief, No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS), for which the Federal Government stumps up money as well.

Where we need real relief for cost of living in New South Wales is to stop the rampant privatisation of public assets.

Given that the Nationals and the Liberals in Government have sold off $93.6 billion worth of our assets in a decade, I wonder how much there is left to sell. It makes no sense as one day you wake up and they are all gone for good.

We were told that electricity prices would decrease when the Nationals and Liberals privatised it, but the reverse happened and they skyrocketed.

Given this, they still refuse to rule out more privatisation. It makes no sense, is not good management nor public policy.

Chris Minns has made a commitment that a Minns Labor Government will end privatisation of public assets, putting a stop to ever-increasing prices that are costing everyone living in our state.

Adam Guise (Greens)

People are struggling to keep their head above water because the cost of everything is going up, and real wages have fallen. While many of us struggle to get by, big banks, coal and gas corporations and property developers continue to make billions. Low wages are also contributing to cost-of-living pressures. With inflation increasing and wages flatlining, too many people are under financial strain.

The Liberal-National government’s wages cap for public sector workers has meant that teachers, nurses, paramedics and many other vital public sector workers are actually experiencing a real wages cut. Suppressing the wages of public sector workers is also keeping wages low across the economy.

The Greens want to improve the standard of living for everyone across New South Wales. We are committed to addressing the housing crisis by significant reforms for renters and investing in more public, social and affordable housing.

Enabling land swaps and house relocations for flood-impacted residents is essential to a fair flood recovery that keeps our community together. We will scrap the public sector wages cap, invest to ensure lower energy prices and build affordable housing.

The Greens are committed to easing cost-ofliving pressures by making public transport cheaper and ensuring public schools are genuinely free.

The Greens will make housing affordable, public transport free, put power assets back in state hands and bring down energy bills. They will scrap the public sector wage cap and fully fund public education.

Alex Rubin (Nationals)

We are all suffering from “bill shock”. Every trip to the grocery store, every rent payment, every time we fill the petrol tank.

Home loan interest repayments have doubled, and energy prices have skyrocketed People are suffering and asking themselves: “Did we turn off enough lights, did we run the air-conditioner too long.” A lot of pensioners I have spoken to are going without hot showers and delaying rates, payments and other bills. Where is the $275 power bill reduction Labor promised — we are now paying $400 more?

Normal households like ours have tightened our belts so much that it is getting hard to breathe. So many of us are being forced to use credit cards or after pay services, and the debts are just growing.

Reducing cost-of-living pressure starts with constraining wasteful government spending and easing pressure for families and small businesses where it is most needed. The NSW Nationals are putting money back in regional people’s wallets, with more than 70 different cost-of-living measures right now, including Low Income Household Rebate, gas rebate, Regional Seniors Travel Card, Regional Apprentice and University Student Travel Card, Create Kids Voucher, Active Kids Voucher, Before & After School Care Voucher, and the Family Energy Rebate.

We need a common sense approach and practical solutions, to address the problems “here and now’’. The NSW Nationals are committed to fighting for the regions, unlike Labor.

A Labor government at state and federal level will do what they have always done — spend, waste and grow more levels of administrators. The last thing we need is more bureaucracy, because we will end up paying for it. The only proven way to reduce the cost of living and repair a broken economy, Do not vote Labor!