Australians listened intently to the 2023-24 Budget in the hope that promised cost-of-living relief would be delivered. And, for most of us, that didn’t happen.

The Coalition has identified additional budget expenditure of $185 billion by the government, yet millions of middle-income Australians won’t receive a cent. Tax increases, a large step up in migration, rising power bills and the likelihood of inflation staying higher for longer are also cause for concern.

The Coalition remains focused on strengthening the Australian economy. We want our hard-working middle class to get ahead, not to become Labor’ s working poor.

As a regional MP I always keep an eye out for money coming directly to the bush. And right now, I am seeing signs of cost shifting from Labor put onto our farming sector and local councils, and not enough support for the average household.

The government also has a self-imposed delay in funding for important infrastructure projects in our region. In short they are spending less across Farrer, and taking longer to do it, which is hugely disappointing.

Peter Dutton’s reply to the Budget announced a number of new initiatives we want to see, but right now we’ll continue to challenge Labor policies which hike inflation and deliver added cost burdens to households and small businesses. You can read Peter’s speech in full here.

If you have any questions or concerns on these or other 2023/24 budget decisions, please contact my office for assistance.