Increasing cost of living concerns

The year continues to march on and we are seeing more and more visits by ministers to the electorate as we move toward the election.

It is a level of attention that I hope will continue regardless of what happens next month.

I will be trying to get to as many communities as I can over the next month or so to meet with as many people, businesses, community organisations and councils as I can. There are plenty of issues out there that need addressing – cost of living, roads, housing, health, education are some of the big ones, but there are plenty of others specific to each part of the electorate.

If you see me, come and say g’day, and I’ll tell you what I have been working on while you let me know your concerns, problems, and the solutions that we can work on together.

Cost of living

The Reserve Bank of Australia lifted interest rates yet again this month, putting more pressure on the cost of living for those people who have mortgages, which will have flow-on effects to other costs such as rents. The rises are meant to slow down the rate of inflation, but unfortunately, they are inflating the cost of owning a home and putting an extra burden on household budgets.

On top of the rising costs of fuel, electricity, gas, insurance premiums, and food, particularly in country areas, this latest interest rate rise is making NSW an expensive place to live and own a home.

People need help, there needs to be an effort to cap price rises, we need to offer more assistance to those genuinely struggling on lower incomes, including vouchers, rebates and tax relief.

There are a number of things that could be done at a state and federal level such as; introducing better solar subsidies and rebates to bring down energy bills; giving more concessions on car/bike registration; reducing the fuel excise; setting up a domestic gas reserve, or a putting a public interest test on any exports of gas; cash back schemes for government fees and tolls for lower income earners or struggling small businesses.

Anything that can be done – to relieve the cost pressures on those who can least afford the price rises – should be done. Every little bit of relief will help. It is in nobody’s interest to keep up this squeeze on household budgets.

Boggabri

While out on the road recently, I went to a community barbecue hosted by Narrabri Shire Council and catered by the Boggabri Lions Club with help from some local schools. This was the first of six such events to provide an opportunity for residents to meet with councillors and council staff to hear more about some of the things the council is doing, for people to give any feedback on, or consult with council staff, about projects.

Some of the projects include a feasibility study to develop Dripping Rock as a tourist attraction and a shared pathway.

While I was there, I also had some interesting conversations with locals on a range of topics, including water/flooding, roads, solar power and the rich history of Boggabri. Well done to the organisers, and it was great to see such a good turnout for an event that is about greater transparency and community consultation.

Teacher incentives

The government recently announced more incentives for teachers to move to regional areas, including offering $10,000 in stamp duty that can be claimed back by teachers who buy a home in the area where they move for work.

There is also a $600 one-off payment for the teachers to build social connections, to join local sports clubs or even just take a new friend out for coffee, so they won’t feel isolated when moving to a new area. But these are only picking around the edges of the problem.

You also have to question the timing of the announcement. School has already well and truly started for the year, this is something that probably should have been announced months ago, but there is an election looming.

It therefore seems to solve a political problem for the government, allowing them to be seen to be doing something about a situation that has existed for years and that keeps coming back to haunt them, but it does nothing for students and teachers right now.

The number of teaching vacancies in public schools has tripled under the Liberal/National government. Schemes implemented in the past to recruit more teachers for the bush have only netted a handful of teachers. I have been raising the issue of teacher shortages since I was elected, but this government has made little headway. The NSW Teachers Federation has provided a roadmap for addressing the teacher shortage, but the government has been reluctant to implement it.