Senator Dean Smith – Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – Labor seats worst affected by WA mortgage pain

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 17 February 2025 LABOR SEATS WORST AFFECTED BY WA MORTGAGE PAIN A new survey of mortgage repayment increases in Western Australia since 2022 has revealed Labor-held electorates are bearing the brunt of the housing affordability crisis – confirming this issue is set to play a major role in the upcoming Federal election. Commissioned by Senator Dean Smith and conducted by the Federal Parliamentary Library, the survey is the first comprehensive geographic analysis of mortgage costs across the state. It covers the period from March 2022 to September 2024 and examines all 16 Federal electorates in WA, including the newly created seat of Bullwinkel. The data takes in more than 300 suburbs and towns, revealing the cumulative effect on households of 13 interest rate rises since the election of the Albanese Government, compounded by rising property prices. The survey found that mortgage repayments have at least doubled in 180 locations across WA since March 2022. In the metropolitan area, Armadale in the electorate of Burt topped the increase in monthly mortgage repayments at 190.2 percent, while Spalding in Durack experienced the highest monthly growth in regional Western Australia at 153 percent. Across the 20 worst-impacted areas – homeowners have faced a minimum increase in repayments of 151.3 percent. 15 of these 20 locations are in the Labor-held electorates of Burt, Tangney, Brand, Hasluck, and Cowan. Balga in Cowan, for example, recorded a 153.7 percent increase, Dayton in Hasluck recorded a 162.0 percent increase, and Shelley in Tangney saw mortgage repayments rise by 181.3 percent, confirming it as one of WA’s hardest-hit suburbs. Two other suburbs in the top 20, Maida Vale and Kelmscott, are in the new Federal electorate of Bullwinkle, where Labor has a small notional majority. The full impact on the monthly budgets of WA households is best appreciated by looking at the dollar amount. In Kelmscott, mortgage repayments have surged by $1,848 per month, rising from $1,222 to $3,069. The research is proof of Labor’s economic mismanagement and policy failures, including fuelling homegrown inflation and housing shortages, and their direct impact on mortgage holders in Western Australia. Critically, the biggest mortgage repayment increases have occurred in Labor electorates – proving that the Albanese’s Government is hurting its own constituents the most. Labor is now out of time to address this crisis and affected Western Australians will soon hold Anthony Albanese, Jim Chalmers and their local Parliamentarians accountable at the ballot box. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “Labor’s cost-of-living crisis has hit Western Australians hard – from their shopping baskets to their energy bills – but housing affordability is one of the most drastic examples of the toll the Albanese Government has taken.” “This data leaves no doubt about why household budgets are under massive pressure in WA, with locals having to make unimaginable choices about what to go without to keep a roof over their heads.” “The largest rises in mortgage repayments have occurred in Labor electorates, demonstrating how the Albanese Government is negatively impacting its own constituents, who it promised life would be better with it in power.” “Now it is Labor that must pay the price – because, as we approach the Federal election, Western Australians are looking for a better standard of living and only the Coalition has a plan to deliver that.” ENDS

Opinion Piece – Newly engaged Anthony Albanese must show WA some love too – The West Australian

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Fresh off his engagement to long-term partner Jodie Haydon, no one will begrudge the Prime Minister having a spring in his step when he arrives in WA in a few days. And while he can expect a warmer reaction — who doesn’t love a wedding — Anthony Albanese must also be ready for some tough questions. West Australians are not gullible. We can see past the knee-jerk political reactions, such as Labor’s decision to abandon stage three tax cuts, and whistle-stop tours of our State. And we realise that, despite promising to “stand up for WA” before the last election, Labor’s policies seem to be pulling our State backwards instead. Firstly, Anthony Albanese can be certain that he will be asked to explain his position on live exports. Labor’s plan to outlaw this industry will not only be catastrophic for the WA economy, it will also decimate livelihoods and erase the generations of achievement of our farming communities. When an industry is worth more than $120 million to WA and feeds hundreds of thousands of people around the world, it’s only a weak leader that would bow to the demands of extreme animal rights activists — even if many of them do live in his own electorate. Labor’s damage to our farming communities hasn’t stopped there. Less well known by many is that our farmers raise hundreds of millions of dollars every year in compulsory industry levies. Yet, Labor has just re-committed to a new levy that forces Australian farmers to pay for the biosecurity costs of international importers. The new tax will punish WA farmers, push up prices at supermarkets, and add to the cost-of-business challenges for our grain growers, meat producers and fruit and vegetable farmers. Farmers are already dealing with labour shortages, climate and cost-of-living challenges. Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers’ answer — to impose more taxes — needs to be called out. We can also expect the Prime Minister to try to justify the $10 million Labor has donated to the now-discredited Environmental Defenders Office. This body, whose current target is Woodside’s $16 billion dollar Scarborough gas field off the northwest coast, is a direct threat to 120,000 West Australians employed in the resources sector. It’s also a threat to the roads, schools, and hospitals across the country who rely on royalties from WA miners. Anthony Albanese should follow Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s example and promise to shut it down after the next election. Then we come to the housing crisis — now the worst in the country. While there are many factors that go into housing, what is hurting WA renters the most is Labor’s record, unmodelled immigration policy. In three years Labor will bring in 1.5 million people from overseas, with no plan to manage its impact. In 2023 alone, more than 500,000 immigrants came to Australia. This put significant strain on WA. Per capita, our population grew more than any other State last year. Unsurprisingly, in December the average price to rent a house in WA hit $600 a week for the first time, and rental availability shrunk to below 1 per cent. Finally — and this list of grievances is far from complete — the Prime Minister can expect to be held accountable for his Government’s failures in Indigenous affairs. Despite spending more than $450 million on a referendum that was overwhelmingly rejected by WA voters, Anthony Albanese and Minister Linda Burney have been silent on the epidemic of alcoholism, violence and sexual abuse that scars too many remote indigenous communities. If the Prime Minister cares so deeply about improving health and education outcomes for Indigenous Australians, he should include Broome, Derby, Halls Creek and Kununurra in his itinerary. No one is saying it’s an easy issue, but the PM’s symbolism-over-substance policy, combined with a refusal to see first hand the communities worst impacted by this current scourge, is insincere at best. With speculation growing the election will be later this year instead of early next year, WA voters are watching closer than ever and are asking themselves whether Anthony Albanese really has WA’s back or is in fact going behind it. So far, the evidence says it’s the latter.