Cost of Living

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-101130

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

Cost of Living

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (14:28:38):

My question is addressed to the Premier. How is the Government helping households across the State to tackle cost-of-living pressures?

The SPEAKER:

Order! Members will come to order. Those who ignore directions will be on calls to order.

Ms GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN (WilloughbyPremier) (14:29:28):

— The member for Oatley asked an important question. Cost-of-living pressures for his constituents and for the constituents of all members in this place are real. It takes a government with a good record to acknowledge and deliver on that. I am incredibly proud of what this Government has done to ease cost-of-living pressures on households. The list is long. I know that Opposition members do not like to hear this but I will go through some of the things that this Government has done to ease cost-of-living pressures. Every person who now applies for a green slip can expect a $120 to $180 reduction each year, which means a lot to households, especially families with a number of cars.

I acknowledge the work of the Minister for Finance, Services and Property and his predecessors because this was a difficult reform that the Labor Government shirked when it was in office. We took it on, we were successful and as a result people will see a reduction in green slips across the board. We also gave incentives for people to be safe drivers. We know how important it is for people to drive safely. This has meant that some 1.7 million people have been rewarded with half-price licence renewals for safe driving. So 1.7 million people are driving safely and have had their licence renewals halved. From 1 July regular toll users will get free registration which makes a difference to people. That represents anything between $300—

Interruption

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Opposition members have not told what their policy is on tolls. They do not have a policy.

The SPEAKER:

We do not need the noise or interjections to continue.

Ms GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN:

From 1 July regular users of tolls will be able to get free registration, which is a welcome relief to many.

The SPEAKER:

I remind Opposition members that they should not interject.

Ms GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN:

That represents anything between $300 and $715, depending on their vehicle. We are pleased to have introduced FuelCheck, an app steering drivers towards cheaper fuel prices. In recent days the Minister for Health and the Minister for Western Sydney spoke about the Active Kids rebate. Literally hundreds of thousands of children or families will benefit from that rebate. The Minister for Health and I felt so strongly about reducing the burden on people who travel regularly to public hospitals that we massively reduced car parking fees. I am pleased that many regular users of our public hospitals are now seeing a reduction of as much as $200 per week. That matters to people when they are stressed.

Our first home owners initiative has been an overwhelming success. Under existing concessions the number of first home owners last year was about 5,400. For the corresponding period this year more than 19,000 people have got into the market for the first time because of our stamp duty concessions. Our energy bill relief package has helped many households cope with the increase in electricity bills. Because of the good work of this Government, electricity price increases for pensioners and people who are vulnerable have been absorbed. In the last few budgets—I thank the Treasurer—this Government abolished a number of taxes and charges imposed on small businesses. We know how businesses struggle, especially when they have to pay overheads which we believe are unnecessary.

Extension of time

None of that would have happened without our strong economic management and compassion. It needs not only competence and good economic management but also compassion. New South Wales is doing exceedingly well. Every month when the State of the States report is released it shows that New South Wales is leading Australia by a long mile. Our economy is growing faster than about 30 OECD nations. Notwithstanding that, we appreciate that households are doing it tough. That is why we are making sure we give them relief wherever we can. The list that I have gone through today demonstrates our compassion as well as our competence. Opposition members do not like it when I talk about compassion; they think they own compassion. We are not only the party of compassion but also the party of the workers. []

We appreciate that world-class sporting venues bring jobs and investment to New South Wales. They also offer families who are struggling with the cost of living the opportunity to have a good day out. Whilst the Leader of the Opposition swans around in corporate boxes, people want a positive experience. It is true.

The SPEAKER:

Order! The member for Bankstown will come to order.

Ms GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN:

We see the hypocrisy of members opposite when it comes to managing the budget well and spending on things that matter. We also see their hypocrisy in not wanting to take New South Wales forward even though it is what our constituents want.

Ms Kate Washington:

Ask the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. He's taking you backwards.

Ms GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN:

The member for Port Stephens mentions transport. When members opposite were in government they cut thousands of transport services.

The SPEAKER:

Order! Members will cease interjecting.

Ms GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN:

We are providing the community not only with relief from the cost of living but also with the services they need in transport, health and across the board.