We spoke to Rita Safiotti, the States Treasurer, an hour ago. Now spooking today's budget a surplus of two point four billion dollars, no more electricity credits though that is done. Is there enough cost of living relief in today's budget? Sandra Brewer is the Shadow State Treasurer and joins me live on six PR other stafftern High.
Sandra, Good afternoon, Oli.
What do you think of the budget?
Well, there's aspects of the budget that are very surprising and there's aspects that are hard to be believed. The Premier stood in front of every West Australian during the election campaign and said cost of living was his number one priority. But today's budget unfortunately shows that's nothing more
than political spin. The government is crowing about its achievements in a reporting a budget surplus, but family have every right to feel aggrieved because there isn't a saving for them, And despite a claimed saving of fifty two dollars, what families will really be facing is another four hundred dollars in costs, ongoing housing supply issues, rising rents and difficulty for young people to buy an affordable home.
So the average increase in electricity prices for example, two point five percent water bills. There's the new zone one for transport fares. For train fares, depending on where you leave, you might save yourself a few dollars. So how do we get to an extra three hundred and eighty two dollars to cover fees and charge at Sandra.
Yeah, Well, what the budget reveals that people who are going to have to come up with about that much extra money each year, and that's at a time where real wages are really struggling for people. So if you're living in a house that you're renting, if you're living in a country town where it's hard to find a home, that means you're going to have the difficulty of coming
up with that. And everything costs more, water bills, cross more, you're licensing your car costs more than ever, probably around one thousand dollars a year now for the average person to register a vehicle. So really, what the government has done is chosen to use this period where it's a wash with revenue, not because of sound policy, but because of external good fortune, to use those rivers of cash flowing into treasury from iron ore royalties and records, stamp
duty and elevated payroll taxes. They've squandered it. They've decided let's not use that to make policy change to benefit WA families. Let's just continue to use it on our pet projects, on blowouts on metro net that continue and also have the added implication of crowding out residential housing construction.
As you said, cost of living was the catch cry all through the election campaign. Would you argue there is a broken promise now being revealed in this budget.
Yeah, well, the budget proves one thing when it comes to the cost of living. Labour says one thing and does another. And I think West Australians deserve better than the spin. They're getting, manipulation and this broken promise that people should know. While WA Labor is congratulating itself on another surplus, families are falling behind. So there really is
a betrayal of trust. And the Opposition will be going through the budget line by line, but it's already very obvious that the government has the money but not the will to help struggling households.
Do you think the government should have continued to offer electricity credits at Sandra.
I think they should have put all of their efforts into transforming our energy system to make sure that all families and businesses are supplied with cheap, affordable, reliable energy, and that's what we would expect a focus on. What's really hurting the budget is turbocharging of the asset Investment program, all of the runaways, spending on Metro net and delivering all of those projects all at once has had really
serious consequences. And the line that stands out is despite the government being elected in twenty seventeen on a platform of paying down debt, they've done the opposite and they're forecasting to grow it by more than ten billion dollars. So for the very first time, we have the Treasurer saying, well, she's comfortable with forty billion of debts. I don't think
Western Australian should be comfortable with that. And now in this term she's forecasting to each forty two and a half billion dollars.
Of debt and on those infrastructure projects because he's still quite ambitious. There isbviously a housing package and stimulus program. I will call it a stimulus program, and outside the last couple of weeks in terms of extra help for people with key start rents and the key start loans and the like. The Treasurer was also today quick to point out the extra money being funded into education and
health infrastructure. And I know that you made the point yesterday, Sandra that we might not have all the tradees available on some of the housing projects because of the metro net projects. And there's obviously still a lot of public infrastructure projects. So where are we going to find the workers?
Yeah, you're right, Ollie, and I heard your report yesterday. It's definitely the case that Labor is continuing on its spending ways. They have no plan to address the fundamental problems in our community. We have growing elective surgery, weightless record high ambulance ramping. We have more education demand from our growing population and crowded classrooms. We know that policing needs more attention and to keep the morale of our police force. But Labor aren't focused on everyday policy and
good government to improve those factors. They're focused on big spending projects, cutting ribbons on overspent infrastructure, and it all does have a consequence. The consequence of all of this overblown infrastructure program is they're building fewer homes. They're actually producing eight thousand fewer homes a year. Than under Barnett
Liberal National governments. So they have been a disaster for housing and I feel for young people who are really being offered no light at the end of the rainbow.
Before I let you go, Sandra, just before the news at four o'clock, i'd revealed the Planning Commission has voted in favor for one of giving the green light to those twin towers on Station Street in Coddosla, obviously in your electorate. So fifteen stories thirteen stories, do you support the construction of those towers?
Well, thanks, Ollie, and I haven't quite been across all of the breaking news this afternoon. Did you say fifteen and thirteen stories?
Seventeen and fifteen?
I should have said, oh sorry, I was going to say the project may have changed. Look, I do support the need for more high quality housing in Cottislow, and the Cotterslow train station presents an outstanding opportunity to invest.
What I would like to see is for the government to use the approval of this project as the catalyst for a genuine and sophisticated plan to deliver infrastructure more livable and sustainable around Cottislow. So our community has tolerated archaic road infrastructure, dangerous level crossings, and with this project, it's been independently reviewed and the decisions being made, it
should proceed. In that case, it's now up to the government to make significant increases in the amenity of the area, address the train station accessibility and the congested, outdated level crossing geting area.
And when you talk of that, might this even speed up the sinking of the railway line through the U Western suburbs.
Yeah, well, that's the vision that you know I've been calling for. Olie and many others agree that that is a visionary plan to provide more homes for young people and down sizes. I'd like to see a really good, integrated strategic plan that possibly sinks the railway and provides a beautiful green belt of parks and trees where they'd be lovely, medium and low density in some places high density apartments around those locations. So if this is the
start of it, well I call on the government. Now is the time to deliver a proper strategic plan, fix those intersections and old archaic train stations for the benefit of all of the community.
Santa, Thanks you time, Thank you