What are you cooking up Mr Premier?
Like one of those American soapies where you’re left hanging at the end of a season, Roger Cook in the last week of 2023 offered West Australian battlers hope by saying help is on its way.
“Everything is on the table in terms of cost-of-living relief,” Cook declared in an interview I did with him.
Expect three words to dominate the landscape here in WA in 2024. And no it’s not “Will Harley deliver?”.
The cost of living will be a well-worn term by the end of this year.
Look at Albo this week.
“Our priority will be to provide cost-of-living relief whilst taking pressure off inflation,” The PM said on Wednesday.
“I have asked Treasury and Finance to come up with further propositions that we’ll consider in the lead-up to the May Budget this year.”
Great minds think alike.
That’s exactly what Cook has done, ahead of his May State Budget — get everyone in his administration and Treasury thinking of cost-of-living reprieves.
It’s funny what an election, just 15 months away, can do to a man.
So, what does it actually mean when he says “everything is on the table in terms of cost-of-living relief”?
In my interview with Cook I went fishing for clues: “Maybe more power credits?”
He answered: “Maybe”.
“Freezing household fees and charges?” I asked.
He answered: “They (household fees and charges) only increased 2.5 per cent. So, there has been significant relief in that area, but obviously that bundle of goods that goes to fees and charges is one of those things we can look at.”
I continued with: “Power went up 2.5 per cent (in 2023). Might you not increase power at all (in 2024)?”
Cook replied: “2.5 per cent represents about half of the inflation rate. In real terms that is a significant contribution. But yes, that’s another opportunity for us to look at how we can provide cost-of-living relief.”
Just like Albanese, Cook reckons his government has already done a fair bit in the cost-of-living space.
Sure. But is it enough?
Clearly, Cook recognises voters don’t think so. Hence his revelation that more cost-of-living relief is on its way.
Let’s have a quick look at some of the headline cost-of-living measures announced by the WA Government in 2023.
The $400 power credit for all WA households, extra help for Commonwealth Card holders, and small business, cost the Government $450 million.
The WA Rent Relief program cost $24.4m.
And providing free public transport until January 28 cost $10.4m.
That’s about $484m.
By way of comparison, WA Treasury is forecasting a $3.7 billion surplus for this financial year on top of the $5.1b budget surplus in 2022-23, $6b the year before that and $5.8b in 2020-21.
And let’s not forget Labor just threw another $700m at Metronet, which is now north of $11b.
The demands on Labor’s pot of gold are growing.
In its end-of-year cost-of-living report the WA Council of Social Service pointed out that rents — averaging $600 a week in Perth — were wreaking havoc for many families.
It suggested the Cook Government “stabilise rental increases, and place a cap on rents that limit increases to no more than the CPI”.
And ahead of the May Budget, Liberal shadow treasure Steve Thomas is calling on Labor to review stamp duty payments for first-homebuyers.
“It is sad that a first-homebuyer in Western Australia trying to purchase the average established home at the Perth median price of $590,000 will pay full stamp duty of $22,040 and not qualify for a first-homeowner’s grant,” he said.
“A Government that will deliver more than $20b in surpluses over the current four-year term should be embarrassed by this outcome, especially at a time when people are struggling to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.”
Stay tuned. All will be revealed in the big reveal at the May Budget — if Cook can wait that long.