The State Liberal Opposition is calling on the Government to prioritise cost-of-living relief in tomorrow’s State Budget.
The Labor Government has so far failed to deliver where it’s most needed, with South Australians paying record high power bills and struggling with a housing affordability crisis.
Leader of the Opposition, Vincent Tarzia said the Government has so far failed to achieve its key election promises and taxpayers are footing the bill.
“Labor promised to lower power prices with their hydrogen plan, but they failed. They promised to fix ramping, but they have failed. They promised ‘no new taxes’ but have delivered price hikes and tax grabs,” Mr Tarzia said.
“We’ve seen the Emergency Services Levy and motor registration fees increased above CPI and an $85 levy on SA Water bills introduced to prop up the bottom line.
“We support investment in our state, but we must see results and improvements in our standard of living here and now, not in a decade’s time when long-promised infrastructure comes to fruition.
“There are practical solutions that the Liberal Party have put forward, including stamp duty relief, reintroducing the home battery scheme and scrapping the GP payroll tax grab. These are measures that will make a real and immediate difference to the hip-pocket.
“Instead, we’ve seen reckless spending on vanity projects like the failed Hydrogen Jobs Plan, that offer no real impact towards helping hardworking South Australians afford their skyrocketing bills.”
Shadow Treasurer, Sam Telfer has also called for Government spending to reflect the needs of the entire state, not just Labor seats in metropolitan Adelaide.
“We’ve long been calling for this Government to recommit to the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass, but since the Federal Election there’s been radio silence - with Federal Labor forcing the state to fund half of the billion-dollar project, rather than the traditional 80:20 split,” Mr Telfer said.
“Just 6.3 per cent of infrastructure funding is spent outside of the metropolitan area, showing that our regional citizens have been forgotten by Labor.
"Our drought-stricken farmers have also been calling out for immediate cash flow relief in the form of low and no-interest loans, but the relief offered so far has fallen dismally short of what is needed.
“This is the last budget before South Australians go to the polls and it will tell us everything we need to know about this Government’s priorities.”
