Opinion: We can’t afford another Christmas under Albo

The Albanese Government’s excuses for the cost of living crisis have worn thin as another Christmas passes us by, writes Matt Canavan.

PM Anthony Albanese and Santa Claus. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Thomas Parrish

We have all just lived through our third Christmas under the Prime Ministership of Anthony Albanese. Every Christmas has gotten more expensive.

The first Christmas under Anthony Albanese in 2022 was seven per cent more expensive than the Christmas under Scott Morrison in 2021.

Anthony Albanese’s second Christmas was four per cent more expensive. And, even after billions of dollars was spent on energy rebates using taxpayer’s dollars, this Christmas is still two per cent more expensive.

The Labor Government will say inflation is coming down but a lower inflation rate does not mean prices are falling just that they are growing at a slower rate.

Prices have been permanently higher under Anthony Albanese and people’s wages have not increased by anywhere near the level of prices.

Indeed, the reduction in living standards under Anthony Albanese is higher than anywhere in the developed world since the end of the coronavirus pandemic. The average Australian’s standard of living is back to where it was a decade ago.

The Anthony Albanese government likes to blame the Ukraine war even though the elevated energy prices that Russia’s invasion caused have long since fallen back to normal levels.

If the Ukraine war is the cause of Australia’s economic malaise it is hard to explain how a war in the Donbas has impacted Australia more than other developed countries much closer to the fallout of the war.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO Summit in 2023. Picture: Jacquelin Magnay / The Australian

The Albanese Government’s excuses for the cost of living crisis have worn thin. Our high inflation rates and our declining living standards are home grown.

A big culprit has been the Labor Government’s addiction to high spending. Just last week the Labor Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, issued a new budget update with more massive increases in Government spending.

The Government tried to blame its increased spending on “unavoidable increases” but their own data shows this as another excuse.

The most important table in any government budget is the one that shows how much government spending has increased because of “policy” decisions, not changes in economic “parameters” such as the employment rate.

Last week, this table showed another increase in government spending from policy decisions of $17 billion.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

This is on top of the over $40 billion in extra spending from the Government’s first two budgets. There has not been anything like this increase in government spending (outside of the Covid pandemic) since the Kevin Rudd Government’s response to the Global Financial Crisis .

But at least Kevin was trying to stimulate the economy in response to a global recession. This Labor Government’s spending has just fuelled inflation.

Labor’s mismanagement of our energy system has also fed through to price increases through the whole economy. The Parliamentary Library has found that nearly 60 every day goods have increased by more than 20 per cent.

When you look in detail at the largest increases you see products like bread, cereal and cheese. All processed foods that need a lot of energy to be produced.

The question for Australians as we go into a new year, in which a federal election will be held, is can we afford another Christmas under Anthony Albanese.

Matt Canavan is an LNP Senator for Queensland