COST-of-living pressures are biting Sunraysia residents hard, and contrary to the prime minister’s claims, your Medicare card isn’t magically paying for your whole doctor visit, nor are your energy bills going down.
The Coalition unearthed in Senate Estimates last week that the average ‘gap fee’ at the doctors is $49.14. Not zero.
Worse still, when asked “when will that gap fee get to zero?” – as the Albanese government had promised – the department said the out-of-pocket cost of seeing the doctor will probably go UP.
Remember the prime minister holding up his Medicare card at the election saying, this is all you will need to see a doctor under Labor?
This is the same prime minister who in late August told a Ballarat Bush Summit audience “I won’t b***s*** people.’” He was laughed at and chased out of town – and rightly so.
Your power bills are also going up and solar feed in tariffs are also next to worthless.
Australian electricity costs are up 39 per cent and the Centre for Independent Studies recently reported that international data shows a strong correlation between high shares of wind and solar generation, and rising electricity prices. Hardly the ‘cheapest form of electricity’, as the PM and Energy Minister love to claim.
Denmark has very high shares of wind and solar generation and has the world’s highest retail electricity prices. No country has been able to achieve very low electricity prices and large shares of wind and solar generation. China’s retail power prices are less than half ours, and less than a quarter Danish prices.
Meanwhile Australian housing costs are up 18 per cent, rents up 21 per cent, food up 16 per cent, education is up 17 per cent and your healthcare up 15 per cent.
Sunraysia respondents to Mallee’s Biggest Survey told me groceries, energy and council rates are their three biggest cost of living pressures.
Anglicare reports that someone on the full-time minimum wage has just $33 left every week after paying for the essentials.
Cost-of-living remains front-of-mind for The Nationals and in Opposition we are holding the government accountable.
