2 Years of Labor

Inflation in Australia is worse than the US, Singapore, Germany, Spain, Japan, the Netherlands, Italy, South Korea, Canada, France, and the entire Euro area.

The Reserve Bank Governor has sounded the alarm on inflation being home-grown.

Labor’s economic and energy policies are making inflation worse.

Labor promised a $275 reduction in power bills. In just 21 months, the cost of electricity is up 18% (even with rebates), while gas is up 25%.

Increased energy costs add to inflation directly, but they also raise firms’ costs (for manufacturing, refrigeration, transport, etc), further fuelling inflation.

Under Labor, productivity has plunged by 5.4%. Falling productivity means businesses must either cut wages or put prices up sharply to stay afloat.

With 12 interest rate rises under Labor and the highest rent rises since 2009, Australians are already struggling to find affordable housing. Yet Labor is bringing a record 1.67 million more people to Australia over five years while cutting infrastructure – driving up housing costs and adding to firms’ transport costs due to congestion.

Instead of focussing on a plan to tackle inflation and interest rates, Labor has been focussed on other priorities, like its failed $450 million Voice referendum.

In three Labor Budgets, the Government has lifted spending by a staggering $315 billion – or $30,000 per Australian household.

Increased government spending adds to demand pressures, causing higher inflation.

Under Labor, there have been 12 interest rate rises.

Under Labor’s Budgets to date, the typical Australian household with a mortgage is more than $35,000 worse off.

The reason interest rates have gone up 12 times is because the Government can’t control its spending – and because of its reckless energy policy.

After being caught flat footed by a High Court decision without any legislation ready to fix the problem, the Government released 153 criminals – including child sex offenders and murderers – into the community.

The Government has admitted that at least 18 of the released criminals have been charged by state and territory police for new offences against Australians, and up to 22 of them have been charged for breaching visa conditions.

The Albanese Government admitted it hadn’t made a single application to lock up any of these hardcore criminals released onto the streets.

In January, Labor’s Immigration Minister ordered his department to take a softer approach when considering whether to deport New Zealanders who have been sentenced to a year or more in prison.

By contrast, the Coalition refused or cancelled 10,206 visas under the character provision of the Migration Act. This includes violent criminals, sex offenders and drug traffickers.

The Government’s renewables only policy continues to drive-up power prices.

Electricity and gas prices have gone up by 18 and 25% respectively.

The Albanese Government’s renewables only policy will see 90% of 24/7 power switched off over the next ten years.

The Government’s plan is to generate 5 gigawatts of renewables per year. Just last year, only 1.3 gigawatts were committed – almost 75% off target.

Re-wiring our country will cost at least $1.3 trillion with families, farmers, manufacturers, and businesses all stuck with the bill.

After two years of interventions into the gas market, skyrocketing prices, and repeated warnings of shortfalls, Labor's new gas strategy is just words on paper.

They have just backflipped on their week-old Future Gas Strategy to lock in a deal with the Greens on higher taxes and slower approvals which will further raise barriers to needed new investment.

Last year, Australians suffered the biggest increase in average tax rates of any citizens in the developed world.

Labor has abandoned the Coalition’s tax cap of 23.9%. In Labor’s first two years, personal taxation has risen by 29%.

Labor’s changes to the “safeguard mechanism” means a new carbon tax at $75 per tonne – three times the rate of Julia Gillard’s.

Labor’s family car and ute tax will add thousands to the purchase costs of some of Australia’s most popular cars.

The Albanese Government is bringing a record 1.67 million more people to Australia over five years despite a housing crisis and while cutting infrastructure.

The Coalition increased the number of Medicare-subsidised psychological sessions from 10 to 20. Labor dropped it back to 10 sessions.

The Coalition will restore 20 sessions permanently to provide critical support for Australians who are struggling.

The Albanese Labor Government and Greens joined forces to rush Labor’s family car and ute tax through Parliament without allowing any debate on the impact of this tax on families, car dealerships and the automotive industry.

Labor’s family car and ute tax will add thousands to the purchase costs of some of Australia’s most popular cars, while delivering massive multi-billion-dollar subsidies to Elon Musk’s Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle makers.

When Australia needed a plan to tackle high inflation and interest rates, Labor became obsessed with its $450 million referendum.

Throughout the process, the Prime Minister mis-stepped and overreached. Labor’s Voice was legally risky, with no details. It divided our country, with the “No” Vote exceeding 60%.

In the words of veteran political commentator Laurie Oakes: "When you handle something as big as the Voice as badly as he handled it, people are naturally going to assume that you're not handling other things very well either... He's come out of this Voice referendum looking like an incompetent dill and he may be stuck with that." (Source: 2GB, 31/10/2023)