Christmas is supposed to be a time of celebration. A time that we look forward to. 

But I know that for so many Australians, this Christmas will likely look very different.  

A lot of families are having difficult conversations about what they can and can’t afford.  

Can they afford to buy the traditional Christmas ham?  

Can they afford to have the family over for lunch? 

Can they afford gifts for their children and grandchildren?  

Families are already struggling with Labor’s cost of living crisis. The RBA’s latest interest rate rise, the 12th under Labor, has made things worse. And the latest RBA forecast paints an even bleaker picture than its last one – higher prices aren’t going away any time soon. 

Before the election, Anthony Albanese promised to make things easier for hardworking Australians – that things would be cheaper.  

Labor promised a $275 reduction in power bills. Instead, electricity is up over 18%. Gas is up nearly 30%.  

Food prices are up over 8%. 

Insurance is up over 17%. 

A family with a $750,000 mortgage is now paying an extra $24,000 a year. That’s over $1,000 more from the fortnightly pay packet. 

Charities like Foodbank and Vinnies are reporting a spike in people coming to them for help for the first time – these are often families with dual incomes who just can’t make ends meet.  

Australia’s core inflation is amongst the highest in advanced economies. We have one of the highest long term interest rates. Australian households have suffered the biggest fall in living standards among advanced economies.  

There is a real human cost to the Albanese Labor Government’s economic mismanagement. And they haven’t offered up any solutions. Labor’s only plan is to make the situation worse with poorly planned migration, ill-conceived energy policies, and restrictive workplace laws, that threaten continued high prices. 

They’ve spent the last 18 months fixated on their failed Voice referendum – a referendum Australia didn’t want. And it cost taxpayers nearly half a billion dollars.  

And instead of any meaningful policies to tackle inflation, this Government wants to slash infrastructure spending. They’ve got their priorities wrong here. 

You can’t slash infrastructure spending, while also bringing in 500,000 new arrivals into our congested suburbs. 

And how can you possibly justify slashing infrastructure spending, while sticking with something like the Suburban Rail Loop in Victoria? A project with a business case that the Victorian Auditor General says doesn’t stack up. 

It doesn’t make any sense – and it doesn’t pass the pub test.  

Labor should be looking to rein in unproductive spending to take pressure off inflation, including the $45 billion we have opposed in the parliament and the layers of new bureaucracy it has added. 

What it does tell us, is that the Albanese Labor Government doesn’t understand just how tough it is for hardworking Australians. It tells us they are distracted and have their eye off the ball. 

Under this government, productivity has been in freefall and real wages have plummeted. 

Australians deserve better than this. We need a government that has real solutions to this very real crisis, but right now, all we have is a government that hopes inflation will “moderate further”. 

Everyday Australians are making too many sacrifices because of this Government.  

It’s time for the Prime Minister to ask himself – what will HE sacrifice for the Australian people.  

When will the Prime Minister take responsibility?  

How long will the Prime Minister let Australians pay the price for his lack of action? 

Australians deserve better. 

 

Ends.