Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

During the sitting break, I travelled to the Tweed Valley in northern New South Wales to hear from local families and small businesses about how the housing crisis and increasing cost-of-living crisis impacts them. The message from the community of Tweed was pretty clear: life is hard. It is hard to afford every increase in the cost of just about everything.

The Albanese Labor government promised the families and small businesses of Australia and Tweed that life would be better under Labor. As an example, we were promised a $275 cut to power bills. Instead, families in New South Wales have seen an increase in their power bills of around $752. That's a 37 per cent increase, and it is clear that this reality is showing no sign of abating.

Another focus of my time in the Tweed was the housing crisis. Contrary to popular belief, the housing crisis is not one that is confined to our major cities. At the Business Kingscliff housing forum, I heard firsthand from local businesses of the challenges that they face boosting new housing stock. At almost every turn, red tape stands in the way of providing adequate housing for our communities, particularly in regional New South Wales. At the forum, we heard from the local police about the difficulty of finding housing for new probationary constables. We have to do better than that.

I had the opportunity to visit Tropical Fruit World and gain some insights into the importance of agritourism and the economic and social benefits that it brings to communities like the Tweed. I would like to acknowledge Tweed Shire councillors James Owen and Rhiannon Brinsmead. They're exceptional community representatives and advocates who know in intricate detail what their community needs. I thank them for their efforts in making my trip a success and in advocating for their community.