By Parker McKenzie
The Liberal opposition says Labor’s 2023/24 budget will worsen the cost of living crisis, reduce access to mental health services and cut funding to important local infrastructure projects.
Federal opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the “Albanese Government’s Big Australia approach will make the cost-of-living crisis and inflation worse.”
We all support a well-planned migration program – and that’s the history of Coalition government, but over five years, net overseas migration will see our population increase by 1.5 million people,” he said.
“It’s the biggest migration surge in our country’s history and it’s occurring amidst a housing and rental crisis. Australians are struggling to rent or purchase a property now.”
He said the budget “hurts working Australians” and risks “creating a generation of working poor Australians.”
Casey MP Aaron Violi said he was disappointed the treasurer isn’t “taking pressure off inflation.”
“He could have significantly taken more pressure off by delivering a bigger surplus,” he said.
“There was a real opportunity to take even more pressure off inflation, which would have then taken more pressure off interest rates.”
Mr Violi took aim at the decision to remove funding for local roads, a joint venture between the Federal Government and Yarra Ranges Council called Roads for Community, and “admit that they’d made a mistake.”
“Through their own departmental advice, they know this program improves safety for residents,” he said.
“They know this program, in consultation and partnership with Yarra Ranges Council, was being delivered on time and on budget and it was a project that they supported in 2019.”
The $300 million road sealing project received bi-partisan support in 2019 — when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was Infrastructure Minister — and Yarra Ranges Council received over $98 million of funding required to complete it. The remaining funds required have been cut from the budget.
The Liberal Party is also supporting the reinstatement of a Covid-19 policy of 20 subsidised psychology sessions per year, which has been reduced to 16 in the current budget.
Mr Violi said the opposition is also calling on the Labor party to support banning gambling ads from live sport broadcasts an hour before and an hour after games.
“I think that’s a really important policy because footy time is family time. I love watching the footy with my kids, I don’t like when they see the odds and when there’s talk about betting during the games,” he said.
“We’re leading the conversation in this space around gambling reform and around mental health support.”
