Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

CONAGHAN () (): I'd like to take this time to acknowledge those people who are doing it tough in my electorate: people like Amanda Lee in Boambee East, whose mortgage has increased $100 by a week. Her food bill is up $50 a week, electricity has gone up $50 a week in the past year, and she's on a pension. She is forced to choose between paying those bills and purchasing medication.

Craft brewery Wicked Elf in Port Macquarie will close their doors for good this weekend, after 16 years, because the electricity bill is now more than their rent and they can't pass that on to local consumers, who themselves are finding it tough. At the start of last year, we were celebrating the opening of new businesses in my region and the multitude of awards that local producers like Wicked Elf were winning, hopeful about our economic future. Fast forward to June 2023: our communities are rallying together to save flagship brands, and our elderly are living off baked beans.

These are not isolated examples. Labor made a lot of promises around the cost of living last year, but people in my electorate are struggling to find a single one that's come to fruition. Why does this government insist on focusing on symbolism and ideology whilst businesses close and pensioners are forced to choose between eating and heating? Stop the distractions and start addressing the issues today. (Time expired)