West Australians miss out despite record revenues

After years of record revenues, too many Western Australians are still struggling with housing, healthcare and the cost of living.

Despite receiving another massive revenue windfall over the past 12 months, today’s Budget confirms the Government is still asking struggling Western Australian families to pay more.

At a time when households were already under enormous pressure from rising rents, mortgages, groceries and insurance costs, the Government continues to take more
from families despite billions of dollars flowing into Treasury through booming royalties, GST revenue and taxes.

Water charges are increasing by $52.59, electricity costs are rising by $55.84, the cost of owning and running a motor vehicle will increase by a further $34.86 and the Emergency Services Levy up 5 per cent.

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said West Australians lived in the wealthiest state in the nation, but many have never been worse off, due to a State Government losing sight of the fundamentals.

“Housing is out of reach, hospitals are under strain, and household pressure is rising week by week,” he said.

“Instead of focusing on what matters, Labor has prioritised headlines. Western Australians don’t want more spin — they need affordable homes, functioning hospitals
and real relief right now.

“Announcements promising billions of dollars to play catch up won’t cut it.”

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“This Budget confirms it: Labor had the money, made the wrong choices, and Western Australians are paying the price.”

Shadow Treasurer Sandra Brewer said Perth households were experiencing one of the highest rates of inflation in the country and the State Government’s 10 years of big
spending was contributing to it.

“As we all know and have seen again this week, inflation leads to interest rate rises, putting further pressure on households,” she said.

“There is 6.7 per cent growth in spending this financial year and 6.9 per cent forecast in 2026-27. Government expenses have now grown 70 per cent over the last 10 years.
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“This Budget exposes a failure to prepare for the future despite the strongest financial conditions in the State’s history.

“The State Government needs to refocus on the basics and ease the pressure it is placing on the economy by slowing and smoothing some of its infrastructure spending
over the forward estimates, exactly as it acknowledged was necessary in 2021 when it recognised the construction sector did not have the workforce or capacity to deliver everything at once.

“They can start with their unnecessary pet projects – race tracks, Italian football festivals, rugby league teams and Government advertising and consultants.
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“And they should be working with the industry to determine which projects are best placed to be deferred or rescheduled to reduce pressure on the construction sector.

“The result would be greater capacity for housing and essential infrastructure delivery, less inflationary pressure across the economy and a stronger focus on the priorities that matter most to Western Australians.

“This Government has benefited from extraordinary revenue windfalls, but instead of building resilience and delivering reform, it has simply spent more and borrowed more.”
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Debt is now forecast to be an eyewatering $44.7 billion by 2028-29.

Ms Brewer said housing remained the clearest example of Labor’s failure.

“A generation is being locked out of home ownership, rents are soaring and supply is falling further behind demand,” she said.

“At the same time the Treasurer continues to profit from the housing crisis with a stamp duty windfall of $2.1 billion since the last Budget, with only $297 million being returned to struggling first home buyers via raised thresholds.”

Leader of The Nationals WA, Shane Love MLA, reiterated his call for the Cook Labor Government’s State Budget to stop using the Royalties for Regions funding as their own personal piggy bank.

“For years, under Labor, the regions have been ignored. We have seen hundreds of millions of dollars that should be spent in regional communities on housing, health and
practical cost-of-living relief, instead being funnelled into projects in Perth as ‘ordinary business of government’,” he said.

“Not only is Labor not investing in the regions, they’re cutting vital services and programs.

“In regional electorates, the orange school buses have been cut, promised renovations to existing hospitals in at least four regional towns have been incomplete for up to a decade.

“Meanwhile those needing surgery, chemotherapy, basic medical treatments, have to travel to Perth and our calls for more support, such as an increase to the PATS fuel
subsidy, go unanswered.

“It is clear what needed to be done: restore Royalties for Regions so that regional communities receive their fair share of the wealth they help create.”

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