Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

When the Albanese government was elected two years ago, it was on the promise that no-one would be left behind. Time and again, the now Prime Minister promised that his would be a government that cared, that no-one would be left behind and that people would do better under his leadership. Two years on and my community is asking when this government will deliver on those promises. Labor's signature cost-of-living announcement has seen their now legislated changes to the stage 3 tax cuts. At best, it is a modest offset to cost-of-living pressures and it's kicked the can down the road in dealing with bracket creep. It is more politically expedient than it will be tangibly beneficial in the long run. The average Tasmanian mortgagee has seen their repayments increase over $1,000 per month since May 2022. Rents have gone up as well. There are rising costs across all areas.

Also important to note is that low- and middle-income earners will still be effectively paying more tax than they were when this government came to office without the continuation of the low and middle income tax offset. The energy relief of $300 is a bit disappointing, and the fact that it's not more targeted seems wasteful. Again, it is at best a temporary sugar hit that is more about politics than substance and perhaps a missed opportunity to maximise relief to those in greatest need.

It is important to recognise that cost-of-living pressures do not impact everyone in our community equitably, with those on fixed incomes and government payments particularly impacted by rising costs. Despite the recommendations of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee ahead of the budget, the government has, for the most part, resisted acting on those recommendations and calls from welfare advocacy groups, providing very little relief in this budget. Housing measures announced may go some way towards addressing these challenges in the years ahead, but housing availability and affordability remains an urgent priority for all levels of government. There seems to be little in the budget to address the short-term need either in the provision of housing or in boosting funding to frontline services and emergency providers. The need on the ground remains dire, with a horrifying number of northern Tasmanians experiencing homelessness. Services are unable to cope with demand.

It's the same with announcements related to family violence. Whilst the leaving violence payments that have been announced are welcome, I know from constituents that there is slow delivery of this support. The eligibility criteria lock many people out of accessing it and it's inadequate to meet costs the actual costs incurred. Critically, the most dangerous time for victims of family violence is when they decide to leave. We need greater investment in frontline services as well as a range of other measures to stop violence before it begins.

We have seen more funding announced for urgent care clinics; however, these are not the solution to the primary care crisis in Tasmania, particularly outside of metropolitan areas, where the urgent care clinics are located, leaving the state government to do the heavy lifting in propping up primary care in regional areas without Commonwealth support. It is not a sustainable solution to this problem in the longer term.

Looking to aged care, the $2 billion increase only restores the cut made last year, and the new aged-care package is unfortunately unlikely to mitigate the growing waiting list, which has blown out from 30 to 90 days in 2022 to 12 to 15 months now. Just this week I had a constituent in my electorate who was approved for a level 3 package in February be advised that the waiting time for the package to be implemented is between nine and 15 months. This is unfortunately an all-too-common story. Constituents continue to wait extremely long times across a range of areas for claims to be assessed or processed. We are often able to help when we can advocate on their behalf, but I'm concerned when I think about all the people we don't hear from, who don't know where to seek help or don't have the capacity for whatever reason.

I know northern Tasmanians are disappointed with this budget. There isn't enough to support the level of need that currently exists. I heard a government member today say, 'It will take a long time to fix, but we are working on it.' I say you need to work harder and faster. My community is continuing to be left behind two years after your government came to office. They are not better off as you promised them that they would be and they cannot afford to keep hanging on for some undetermined amount of time as their circumstances deteriorate. You cannot reasonably expect people to just trust you indefinitely as they feel they are getting further and further behind.

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