Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

The cost of living is much more than a three-word slogan for many Tasmanians, because, on so many levels, Tasmanians are relatively disadvantaged compared with Australians from the mainland states. So any increase in cost of living has a disproportionate impact on people in my state. To illustrate the disadvantage, let's start with weekly earnings. In Tasmania average weekly earnings are approximately $1,000 a week, which is 17 per cent less than average weekly earnings on the mainland, where they're about $1,200. And housing: rents in Hobart are more than in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. And rents in greater Hobart are the country's least affordable for any metropolitan area, having risen by some 50 per cent since 2016. It's no better for those who seek to buy. In fact, over the last 20 years residential property in Tasmania has increased in value by 300 per cent, whereas on the mainland residential property over the last 20 years has increased by only 193 per cent on average. No wonder there are something like 4½ thousand Tasmanians on the public housing waiting list out of a population of only about half a million people, and the average waiting time for a priority applicant for public housing in Tasmania is now 72 weeks.

It's no better in the health space because Tasmanians—and this is well documented—are on average older and sicker than Australians on the mainland. We have one of the worst bulk-billing rates of any of the six states of the Commonwealth. Fuel prices are routinely much higher in Tasmania, and particularly in Hobart, when compared with other states and mainland capitals. We have a higher reliance on government pensions and payments—in fact, something like 30 per cent of Tasmanian households rely solely on government pensions and payments. I'm not just talking about JobSeeker and the rate of JobSeeker here. Put yourself in the shoes of someone on the age pension or the DSP having to pay $300 or $400 a week in rent. It's simply unachievable. And, of course, Tasmania is not immune from the national gas and electricity price rises.

This can be fixed. The government—the previous government, this government—has the tools at its disposal. For example, with housing, we really need to increase Commonwealth rent assistance. We really need investment housing tax reform. And, of course, we need much greater investment in social housing in Tasmania and across the Commonwealth. Yes, I applaud the federal government for promising to invest much more during this year and in the following years. But it's still only a fraction of what's required.

In health, we can lower the cost of living for many Australians by increasing access to bulk billing. But that will only occur if the Medicare rebate is significantly increased. Much talked about but never achieved is rolling dental care into Medicare. On fuel prices, let's give the ACCC the teeth to rein in the profiteers. When petrol in Hobart is 20c a litre more than the cost of petrol—or diesel, for that matter—in Melbourne or Sydney and the cost of moving that fuel to Tasmania might be 1c a litre then there's only one explanation, and that's profiteering. As far as energy prices more broadly go, the government needs to act and act urgently. As recently as this morning ministers were out talking about turning their mind to doing things, but let's do these things. Let's cap prices. Let's have a superprofits tax. Let's have a national gas reserve.

We can afford this. Ditch the stage 3 tax cuts, tax the wealthy companies and individuals, and let's reprioritise the federal budget. That's what I and many Australians will be looking to next May, when the first regular budget of this government is brought down. Will it reprioritise and will it do things to genuinely lower the cost of living for many Australians? The government and some speakers here today are making much of the budget two weeks ago. Yes, there were some very welcome measures to relieve the cost of living, but it's only a start. I am pleased that today the crossbench has offered the new government any number of suggestions that could be included in the May budget.

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