WA FAMILIES HIT BY LABOR’S RISING BACK TO SCHOOL COSTS

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY 19 January 2024  WA Liberal Senator Dean Smith, a member of the Coalition economic team, says the concerns of many local parents and carers have been realised due to a sharp hike in education-related costs under the Albanese Government in 2024. This week, a report by school children’s charity The Smith Family found that nearly 90% of respondents to a survey of 2,000 families were concerned about not being able to afford school supplies for the year. More than half of the survey’s respondents said it was harder to afford all the things their child needed for school than last year. 46% feared they were not going to be able to afford the right uniform or shoes for their children. The Smith Family report comes in the wake of recent estimates that reveal families are spending on average $2,547 a year to send a child to primary school – a figure that increases to $4,793 for secondary school. In total, there has been an almost 5% rise in education costs since Labor was elected. It should come as no surprise that these costs are pushing vulnerable groups further to the brink. In September 2022, a hearing of the Senate Cost of Living Committee heard that about 7,000 grandparent carers in WA were earning less than $19,000 a year, and living below the poverty line. Representations from the group flagged back to school costs as a major challenge. The same Committee heard from YouthCARE, whose CEO, Tamsyn Cullingford, confirmed that the past 18 months had seen schools and families who were previously completely self-reliant ask for the charity’s help. Senator Dean Smith said Labor is consistently failing in its promise to reduce the cost of living for Western Australians. “Under Labor, parents and carers are worried about covering the cost of sending their children to school – irrespective of whether they are public or private,” Senator Smith said. “The 5% rise in education costs comes when home rentals have increased 27% under Labor, and monthly repayments on an average mortgage for a $500,000 home are growing by more than $1,000 since Labor were elected,” he said. “These intense cost of living pressures mean parents and carers are starting to make heart-breaking decisions such as pulling their children out of extra-curricular activities because they simply can’t afford them.” “They are feeling the heat at every angle under Labor and it’s getting worse.”

FINALLY ACTION ON AVIATION COMPETITION, NOW LET THE ACCC DO ITS JOB

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SENATOR THE HON BRIDGET MCKENZIE SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADER OF THE NATIONALS IN THE SENATE SENATOR FOR VICTORIA SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA 8 November 2023 Media Release FINALLY ACTION ON AVIATION COMPETITION, NOW LET THE ACCC DO ITS JOB The Albanese Government has been dragged kicking and screaming to reinstall ACCC monitoring of the aviation sector. In response to a Private Senators Bill tabled by Coalition Senators Bridget McKenzie and Dean Smith, the Senate has been informed the Government will today, finally, send a letter of direction to the ACCC to reinstate the monitoring, 23 days after it was announced it would. Since the Albanese Government backflipped on its decision to scrap the ACCC monitoring 3 weeks ago there has been crickets with no direction given by the Treasurer to the ACCC to hit go on the monitoring despite the ACCC Chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, telling a recent Senate committee it’s ready and waiting. Senator McKenzie said the Albanese Government chose to forgo competition monitoring into what is one of the most consolidated industries in Australia, which was admitted to in the Government’s Green Paper. “Only after the aviation Senate inquiry made the recommendation to reinstate the monitoring did the Government decide to backflip on its decision,” Senator McKenzie said. “But making an announcement is one thing and taking action is another and this is where the Government continues to fail. “The ACCC is on record that it is ready to re-establish the monitoring so there is no excuse for the Albanese Government to continue dragging their feet on the matter.” Senator Smith said Labor’s delay on restoring ACCC monitoring, at a time when Australians are struggling with a dramatic rise in the cost of living, has been unconscionable. “Air travel in Australia isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. There can be no justification stifling oversight in an industry which is uniquely central to economic and social life in Australia,” Senator Smith said. “While it’s clear that the Albanese Government prefers symbolism over substance, the Coalition had at least hoped that sending a small note to the ACCC was within the competence of Jim Chalmers. “Like the Year 12’s studying for their exams across Australia, my advice is for the Treasurer to put his phone on silent, focus on the task at hand, and ignore the calls and texts from friends – in his case, the government relations team at Qantas, whose messages Labor has found so impossible to ignore in the past.” Senator McKenzie said the ACCC monitoring needs to recommence immediately, especially given the Qantas group, including Jetstar, cancelled over 1,000 flights in September and a further 7,084 flights were delayed by more than 15 minutes, inconveniencing tens of thousands of Australians. “The fact flight cancellations and delays remain at excessive levels show the Albanese Government is not willing to tackle Qantas to fix the problems in the aviation sector. “The Government is more interested in blocking a Senate inquiry from asking questions to former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce than it is in keeping airfares down for Australian families and business,” Senator McKenzie said. “Given Qantas’ appalling Annual General Meeting last week there’s much more work to do on the behalf of Australian travellers. “If the Minister continues to delay implanting recommendations from the aviation select inquiry the coalition will continue to do the work for her so Australians can have a more competitive, reliable, and safe aviation industry. “The Albanese Government needs to stop running a protection racket for one airline and start listening to the needs of the travelling public,” Senator McKenzie said.

LABOR’S HAND FORCED ON COMPETITION TASKFORCE

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA 30 October 2023 Media Release LABOR’S HAND FORCED ON COMPETITION TASKFORCE Coalition pressure has once again left the Albanese Government with no alternative but to finally move on its Competition Taskforce. The Taskforce met for the first time today, two months after it was announced by Labor, with five new appointments to its advisory panel also released. It follows scrutiny by Coalition Senators in last week’s Budget Estimates hearings regarding the lack of meaningful progress since the 23 August announcement. Among them was Coalition competition spokesman Senator Dean Smith, who said this is the latest example of Labor dragging its heels on reform until its slow performance is called out. “This is the ACCC airline monitoring 2.0, where the Private Senators Bill introduced by Senator McKenzie and I forced Labor’s hand on re-instating this important competition initiative,” Senator Smith said. “Jim Chalmers and Andrew Leigh only act when they’re left with no choice – the way they’ve approached the Competition Taskforce is straight out of the Labor playbook.” Senator Smith also noted that, while the Coalition would always support meaningful competition reform, key details of the Competition Taskforce remain unknown. “The Albanese Government has refused to provide timeframes or a work plan explaining how the Taskforce will go about the demanding job ahead of it,” Senator Smith said. “We also have no idea how the Taskforce will prioritise the sectors of the economy it’s expected to focus on.” “Most significantly, there’s no indication when any of competition reforms identified by the Taskforce will be legislated and start providing a benefit to the Australian people.” “To ensure taxpayers are getting efficiency and value for money when it comes to this Taskforce, Labor should map out detailed priorities and deadlines, and make them public immediately.”

AUSTRALIAN TRAVELLERS LEFT EXPOSED AS LABOR STALLS ON AIRLINE MONITORING PROMISE

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SENATOR THE HON BRIDGET MCKENZIE SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADER OF THE NATIONALS IN THE SENATE SENATOR FOR VICTORIA SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA 27 October 2023 MEDIA RELEASE AUSTRALIAN TRAVELLERS LEFT EXPOSED AS LABOR STALLS ON AIRLINE MONITORING PROMISE So far, the only completed stage of the Albanese Government’s commitment to re-instate ACCC airline monitoring is its media release. During Budget Estimates on Wednesday night, Treasury officials and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher revealed the Treasurer is yet to direct the ACCC to begin the monitoring, advising the direction is “still being worked up”. In contrast, ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb told the same hearing that the ACCC had maintained capacity to run the monitoring and could “pick up where we left off right away.” The Albanese Labor Government backflipped on its refusal to re-commence the monitoring last week under pressure from the Coalition, including a Private Senators Bill introduced by Senators Bridget McKenzie and Dean Smith. Senator Smith said Labor’s slow performance, failure to provide answers on how the new monitoring would be funded, or if it would be backdated to 30 June – when the previous ACCC monitoring regime, introduced under the Coalition in 2020, ended – is unacceptable. “This monitoring is essential to delivering greater competition and transparency, and Labor’s delays leave air travellers exposed as the busy Christmas period approaches,” Senator Smith said. Senator McKenzie said the evidence provided by Treasury officials shows the Government is more interested in blocking a Senate inquiry from asking questions to former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce than it is in keeping airfares down for Australian families and business. “Treasurer Jim Chalmers first asked Treasury to consider reinstating ACCC monitoring on 7 September when Labor were hoping to scuttle the Senate inquiry into Minister King’s protection of Qantas from competition, and again on 12 October in advance of a Senate vote on extending the Senate inquiry to hear from Alan Joyce on his return to Australia,” Senator McKenzie said. Ms Cass-Gottlieb also confirmed the ACCC was able to monitor the sector from 30 June, with no need for any gap. “It’s bad enough that Labor allowed this monitoring to lapse in the first place, but now it must make good on its error and issue the direction immediately – and ensure the monitoring covers the last four months,” Senator Smith said. “The ACCC is on record that it can proceed today and there is no excuse why the Albanese Government should not do the same. “The ACCC monitoring needs to recommence immediately, with the Qantas group, including Jetstar, inconveniencing tens of thousands of Australians in September by cancelling more than 1,000 flights and a further 7,084 flights delayed by more than 15 minutes, Senator McKenzie said. “The fact flight cancellations and delays remain at excessive levels show the Albanese Government is not willing to tackle Qantas to fix the problems in the aviation sector.” “Until the Government issues a direction to the ACCC to reinstate airline monitoring, the Coalition will continue to push for its Private Senators’ Bill to be voted on by the Senate,” END. ACCC Airline Monitoring Timeline 5 June 2023 ACCC delivers final airline competition monitoring report. 5 September 2023 Senate votes to establish Senate Select Committee aviation inquiry. 6 September 2023 Labor tabled motion to hobble Senate aviation inquiry. 12 September 2023 Senators McKenzie and Smith introduce Bill in Senate to re-establish ACCC airline monitoring powers. 7 September 2023 Treasurer Chalmers asks The Treasury to consider re-establishing ACCC monitoring of airlines. 7 September 2023 Labor offer Senator Pocock a ‘deal’ to restore ACCC monitoring of airlines for his vote to hobble Senate aviation inquiry. 7 September 2023 Senate defeats Labor attempt to hobble aviation inquiry. Labor take no action on restoring ACCC airline monitoring power. 9 October 2023 Senate aviation inquiry report tabled. Recommends re-establishing inquiry to compel Mr Alan Joyce and Qantas employees to appear and give evidence. 12 October 2023 Treasurer Jim Chalmers asks The Treasury for draft letter to Prime Minister and media release on re-establishing ACCC airline monitoring power. 14 October 2023 Voice Referendum. 18 October 2023 Labor offer Senator Pocock a ‘deal’ to restore ACCC airline monitoring for his vote to prevent re-establishment of Senate inquiry that would call Mr Alan Joyce and Qantas employees. 18 October 2023 Senate rejects motion to re-establish Senate aviation inquiry, meaning Alan Joyce will not have to give evidence to Senate Committee. 18 October 2023 Labor announce the re-establishment of ACCC airline monitoring powers. 25 October 2023 Treasury officials disclose no direction has been issued to the ACCC to restore airline monitoring powers.

LABOR’S DAY OF SHAME ON QANTAS COVER UP

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SENATOR THE HON BRIDGET MCKENZIE SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADER OF THE NATIONALS IN THE SENATE SENATOR FOR VICTORIA SENATOR THE HON SIMON BIRMINGHAM SHADOW MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE SENATOR FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA 18 October 2023 Media Release LABOR’S DAY OF SHAME ON QANTAS COVER UP Today Prime Minister Albanese revealed that he is prepared to put the interests of arrogant and greedy corporates like Qantas ahead of the interests of everyday travelling Australians. “Mr Albanese disgracefully shut down an extension of the Senate Committee, which would enable it to call former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce,” Senator McKenzie said. “This is the day Mr Albanese revealed his true self – backing his crony capitalist mates against millions of Australians including loyal customers, staff and shareholders who have been treated badly by Mr Joyce’s Qantas.” Voting to extend the Senate Select Committee inquiry into Commonwealth Bilateral Air Service Agreements would have enabled the former Qantas CEO Mr Joyce to appear before it. “Instead, the Labor Party, in a cabal of a coverup with the Greens and Senator David Pocock refused to allow the Committee the opportunity to seek legitimate and serious questions about the cost impacts on travellers from Mr Joyce’s personal and political relationship with the Prime Minister,” Senator McKenzie said. “This shows the extent of the disrespect the Government has for the Australian travelling public. “This inquiry was first set up to find out the real reason why the Albanese Government has contributed to keeping the cost of airfares high by blocking Qatar Airways’ request for additional flights, and while the inquiry has made serious recommendations to make our aviation industry more competitive, this question still hasn’t been answered,” Senator McKenzie said. “Mr Joyce is one of only three people who know why Qantas has received preferential treatment at the hands of the Albanese Government and now we will not be able to bring him before the Senate Committee to answer legitimate and serious questions about his personal and political relationship with the Prime Minister.” Shadow Assistant Competition Minister, Senator Dean Smith said Labor had proved themselves to be the enemy of competition and transparency. “Shamefully, thanks to Labor, we may never know why the government acted so contrary to the public interest in blocking Qatar Airways’ application. “Aviation is one of the most critical industries in our country – we can’t catch a train from Perth to Sydney for a business meeting, a loved one’s birthday, or a medical appointment. “It needs competition, and Australians deserve a Prime Minister and Transport Minister who understand this,” Senator Smith said. Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Simon Birmingham said Australia’s consumers, exporters and tourism industry were paying the price for the Albanese Labor Government’s cover ups. “This Labor Government is the monarchs of denial. After denying Qatar Airways more flights into Australia and then refusing to give any reasonable explanation it is refusing to allow the Senate from pursuing the truth behind these decisions,” said Senator Birmingham. “Labor has created a cabal of cover up to maintain a protection racket around Minister King and Qantas and is standing in the way of Australians enjoying the cheaper airfares that would flow from greater competition in the aviation market.” Senator McKenzie said the Albanese Government are working directly against delivering the transparent governance they committed to prior to the election. “The Opposition will keep working to find out the real reason why Labor have kept airfares high on behalf of the Australian public.” ENDS.

UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF AUSSIES IN HARDSHIP DUE TO LABOR’S COST OF LIVING CRISIS

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SENATOR THE HON JANE HUME SHADOW MINISTER FOR FINANCE CHAIR OF THE COST OF LIVING COMMITTEE SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday, 26 September 2023 UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF AUSSIES IN HARDSHIP DUE TO LABOR’S COST OF LIVING CRISIS The number of Australians on energy bill hardship programs is now higher than the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the greatest concern for customers being the risk of another interest rate rise. Representatives from EnergyAustralia, AGL Energy and Origin Energy told the Cost of Living Committee at its hearing in Perth that there has been a “significant increase” in the number of customers on hardship plans. One energy retailer reported that the number of customers on hardship plans had almost doubled from the peak of the pandemic, and they expected the number to increase into the future. The Committee heard that “more supply is critical” to reducing energy prices, but that the Albanese Government’s interventions in the gas market “tend to discourage supply”. An “unprecedented demand” in the number of Australians seeking charitable assistance is also being reported across various organisations in the West Australian charity sector. Foodbank WA said they were now providing food assistance to dual income households, a demographic they said they “never expected to support”, with the number of eligible Foodbank cardholders recently skyrocketing from 5,000 to 14,000 due to the cost of living crisis. The Salvation Army said it had seen a 60% increase in wage earners seeking assistance, while the Anglicare WA said employed people coming to it for assistance had tripled in the last three months. Exasperating the challenges charities are facing is the fact that the sector is not seeing donations increase at the same rate as requests for assistance, and it is harder to find volunteers. Chair of the Committee Senator Jane Hume said that the increase in the number of Australians accessing hardship programs and charities, shows the very real impact the cost of living crisis is having on families. “Labor went to the election promising a plan to lower the cost of living and reduce energy bills by $275, but the evidence we heard today is that energy bills are going up, and Australians are struggling to cope. “The fact that there are now more Australians on hardship programs than during the peak of the pandemic and the fact that charities are now servicing dual income households, show that Australians are not better off under Labor.” Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Dean Smith said the charities and non-profits sector is operating in a perfect storm of record demand and rising overheads. “Charities are working in overdrive, but their own costs are up – one told us today they’ve spiked 66% – while both donations and the supply of volunteers are generally down,” Senator Smith said. “And a light is now being shone on ‘hidden’ hardship, households with two working parents, not eligible for Government financial and housing support, but living in cars with their kids and relying on food support.” “These are the very human faces of the Albanese Government’s cost of living crisis.” ENDS.

LABOR’S AIRLINE COMPETITION CHAOS

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SENATOR THE HON BRIDGET McKENZIE SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADER OF THE NATIONALS IN THE SENATE SENATOR DEAN SMITH LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY MEDIA RELEASE 31 August 2023 LABOR’S AIRLINE COMPETITION CHAOS Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been forced to make an embarrassing correction about whether airlines will be included in Labor’s recently announced competition review. Assistant Minister for Competition, Andrew Leigh, said earlier this week they would not. But the Australian Financial Review now reports that, in a characteristic backflip, the Treasurer has confirmed the aviation sector will be among those considered by Labor’s Competition Taskforce. Coalition competition spokesman Senator Dean Smith said Labor’s lack of certainty regarding its own policies was alarming but welcomed news of the inclusion. “If this attempt by the Albanese Government to enhance competition is to mean anything, it must include aviation,” Senator Smith said. “The Treasurer said last week that the competition review was going to be ‘iterative’ and ‘methodical’, so I call on him to commit to making airline competition its priority and set a timeline for the review to report back on its findings.” And Senator Smith again called on Labor to reinstate ACCC monitoring of the sector. “In the meantime, recommencing the watchdog’s reporting role is a clear step the Albanese Government can take to improve aviation competition outcomes for Australians.” Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator Bridget McKenzie said there are immediate decisions the Government could take that would improve competition, affordability and reliability in both the domestic and international aviation sectors. “By responding to the Harris Review and adding additional flexibility for managing aircraft slots at Sydney airport the Government could put downward pressure on prices and improve service, getting more Australians to their destinations on time.” ENDS

LABOR MUST BOOST AIRLINE COMPETITION BY REINSTATING ACCC REPORTING

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Joint Media Release SENATOR THE HON BRIDGET McKENZIE SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADER OF THE NATIONALS IN THE SENATE SENATOR DEAN SMITH LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY MEDIA RELEASE 31 August 2023 LABOR MUST BOOST AIRLINE COMPETITION BY REINSTATING ACCC REPORTING The Albanese Government is failing Australian families and businesses by deliberately exempting Qantas, Virgin, and the wider aviation sector from its recently announced review of competition policy. Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator Bridget McKenzie said the Prime Minister has a lot of questions to answer as to why the Government seems determined to stifle competition and keep the cost of airfares at very high levels. “Australians are paying more, reliability is going down not up, and flight cancellations are more not less frequent,” Senator McKenzie said. “At every turn the Albanese Government seems to be avoiding its regulatory responsibilities to oversee a competitive, reliable and affordable airline industry.” “Labor refuse to add competition-creating flexibility to slots at Sydney airport, they abolished the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s monthly reporting on domestic airline competition, blocked Qatar Airways from providing additional flights to the Middle East and Europe, and now they are exempting this vital sector from examination by the newly established competition review. “The fact this exemption was a surprise to members of the Competition Taskforce, including former ACCC chair Rod Sims, is a further indication the Government has some hidden reasons for going soft on airlines,” Senator McKenzie said. Coalition competition spokesman Senator Dean Smith said CEO Alan Joyce’s evidence to the Senate Cost of Living Committee this week again failed to convince Australians that Qantas should enjoy privileged and protected status among the nation’s air carriers – and reinforced the need for monitoring the sector’s competitiveness generally. The Coalition is now calling on the Treasurer to direct the ACCC to resume monitoring the aviation industry and investigate airline competition and prices, costs and profits relating to both domestic and international air passenger transport services. The direction, which would invoke the ACCC’s powers under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, should require the competition watchdog to report on this monitoring at least once a quarter for a further three years. Despite the last ACCC report finding that the Australian airline industry had room for increased competition, both Mr Joyce and Qantas corporate affairs head Andrew McGinnes have dismissed the suggestion of ongoing oversight. Senator Smith said their reluctance is particularly disappointing given the obvious need for the cheaper prices and greater flexibility extra air services would deliver. “Australians deserve the best and most competitive experience possible when travelling in the world’s eighth largest domestic aviation market,” Senator Smith said. “The level of competition is insufficient to meet the needs of consumers, especially those living in isolated cities and regional areas outside the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.” It is worth noting that the last ACCC report, published in June, found: Qantas Airways reported an underlying profit before tax of $1.43 billion for the first half of the 2022-23 financial year, 49% higher than the previous first half record in 2017 / 2018. The domestic operations of Qantas and Jetstar were responsible for most of the recent result with underlying earnings before interest and tax of $915 million. Although Qantas’ market share decreased to 34.8% in January, the combined market share of the Qantas Group remained at 61.7% The report also confirmed the ACCC received 1,740 contacts involving Qantas in 2021-22, the most of any company and 68% higher than the previous year, observing that “such an increased level of contacts is generally indicative of a high level of dissatisfaction with that company”. Senator Smith said both the report’s findings and recent events highlighted the need to reinstate monitoring. “The fact Labor’s newly announced competition review will not consider aviation is further justification for the ACCC oversight being called for by the Coalition,” Senator Smith said. “In Andrew Leigh’s first real attempt at bringing down the barriers to effective competition in the Australian economy, he has been blocked by his ministerial colleagues from looking at airlines. “It should be very clear to the Albanese Government that the ACCC needs to continue its analysis and promotion of greater airline competition well into the future.” ENDS

RENTERS JOIN MORTGAGE HOLDERS AS VICTIMS OF LABOR’S ECONOMIC MISMANAGEMENT

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Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia MEDIA RELEASE 25 August 2023 RENTERS JOIN MORTGAGE HOLDERS AS VICTIMS OF LABOR’S ECONOMIC MISMANAGEMENT Recent data analysis shows low-income WA renters would need to spend around two-thirds of their income to access an average rental property in the state. The median weekly rent for a house in WA has climbed from $370.00 in 2020 to $580.00 in 2023, while the minimum wage has only grown from $753.80 to $863.40. This represents a ratio increase from 49% to 67%. Over the same time period, the percentage of income an average WA worker spent on rent has jumped nearly 10%. Western Australians in this category spent about 20% of their income on rent in 2020, but in August this year that has increased to more than 28%. The negative impact on WA households is confirmed by The Salvation Army’s Doorways Emergency Relief Survey, which found 21% of respondents from the West had been unable to pay their mortgage repayments or rent on time in the past year. To put this into perspective, the national rate was only 7%. Earlier this year, Anglicare WA’s latest Rental Affordability Snapshot found that the average price for a rental in WA has soared to $560 per week – an increase of 17% in just one year. It also found that only 1% of rentals are affordable for a working single parent with two children on the minimum wage in WA, while there was no affordable rental in the state for a single person on JobSeeker. Just 15% of rentals were affordable for a family with two children where both parents earn the minimum wage. Renters have joined the state’s mortgage holders as the victims of Labor’s cost of living crisis and inability to tame inflation. 56% of the fixed rate home loans in WA switch to variable rate by the end of 2023 –one of the highest levels in Australia. Of any state, WA has the largest number of borrowers that are three months behind on their mortgage repayments. Meanwhile, over 40,000 low-income WA mortgage holders are now spending 30% or more of their household budget on loan repayments. These statistics confirm that, over a year after the election of the Albanese Government, its promise life would be cheaper under Labor have come to nothing. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “There have been 11 interest rate rises on the Albanese Government’s watch and instead of effective economic management, their policies are making matters worse.” “While there’s ample evidence of the toll being taken on WA mortgage holders, it’s undeniable renters are also doing it very tough under Labor.” “Keeping a roof over their heads is now a daily struggle for many Western Australians – how is that compatible with the promise we’d all be better off under Labor?” “We are setting records for all the wrong reasons here in WA, with significant hardship being felt as a result.” “Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers have forgotten the everyday Australians they promised to help.” “Addressing this rental stress must be a top priority for Labor, and an important part of that is not the HAFF or introducing caps, but incentivising mum and dad property investors to enter the market and increase rental stock.” ENDS

RECORD COST OF LIVING PAIN REVEALED IN NEW ABS DATA

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Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Liberal Senator for Western Australia MEDIA RELEASE 2 August 2023 RECORD COST OF LIVING PAIN REVEALED IN NEW ABS DATA Living Cost Indexes released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics lay bare the rising cost of living under the Albanese Government, especially for working Australians. The Indexes measure goods and services prices and their impact on five household types – including employee, age pensioner and self-funded retirees. Annually, spanning most of the life of the Albanese Government between June 2022 and June 2023, indexes for all household types rose. Working households experienced the highest annual rise on record, or 9.6%, based on mortgage interest increases. Mortgage interest expenses blew out by 91.6%, another record. In the last quarter, indexes for all five household types rose by up to 1.5%. Insurance and financial services was the leading component, again driven by mortgage interest rate increases as well as larger insurance premiums, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages and housing expenses. Housing jumped as an expenditure component due to growing rents in an environment of low vacancy rates and strong demand. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “This ABS data makes it very clear that Jim Chalmers and the Albanese Government’s recent claims about the economy and how Australians are faring is false.” “The data confirms all Australians have experienced significant, sometimes record, cost of living increases on Labor’s watch. “Working Australians are worst affected, given the inevitable impact of rising interest rates – themselves the result of Labor mismanaging inflation and leaving the heavy lifting to the RBA. “No wonder this record data corresponds to record numbers of Australians turning to charities and non-profits for support, many for the first time. “It’s time the Albanese Government got its priorities right and focussed on addressing inflation and its effect on Australian households and those supporting them.” ENDS