Cost of Living Increasing

First published in the Logan Reporter on 11 March 2016

A hot topic at my regular mobile offices over the weekend was the rising cost of living for local people.

I know pensioners, families, and others in our community are feeling the pinch of increasing costs right across the economy.

Already, working people in our area are dealing with weaker wages, pressure on their incomes and penalty rates at risk.

Unfortunately on top of this, the Turnbull Government is making decisions that will make things even harder.

A clear example is childcare. Average fees in childcare have grown around 22% since this government was elected in 2013, costing some families thousands of dollars more each year.

Despite promising to improve affordability of child care, the Liberals will go a whole term of government delivering nothing but fee increases in the sector.

To make things worse, Malcolm Turnbull cut about $1.3 billion from family day care and Child Care Subsidies at the end of last year.

This will hurt the hip pocket for families already reeling from the Liberals' planned abolition of the Schoolkids Bonus, cuts to paid parental leave and cuts to end-of-year family tax supplements.

Unlike the Liberals, Labor has a plan to put people first.

We will make the tax system fairer.

We will fund better schools and we will help families and pensioners with the cost of living.

I will stand with local households against these increases to the cost of living every day up to the next election and beyond.

#report #family #childcare #education #taxreform #loganreporter