This was published 3 months ago
We asked these Australians what they thought of the budget. This is what they told us
We spoke to people about their thoughts and concerns ahead of, and immediately after, the budget.
Here’s what they had to say.
Alex and Lauren O’Neill
Financial analyst and teacher, both 32, Sydney’s upper north shore.
Income: Alex $120,000-$180,000 tax bracket, Lauren $45,000-$120,000 tax bracket.
Alex and Lauren O’Neill with daughter Olive.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Budget wishlist: Cost-of-living relief and childcare are front-of-mind for the O’Neills, who bought their first home eight months ago and have a nine-week-old daughter.
“We’re reasonably comfortable compared to a lot of people, but even then we’re finding it difficult to manage the cost of living,” Alex said.
“We’ve mostly felt it with our grocery bill, and would be keen to see how the government can help to ease those everyday pressures.
“We shopped around and changed electricity companies to maximise value because our power bill just kept going up. We’ve got one car, and petrol is so expensive right now, so I have been catching public transport as much as possible.”
As new homeowners, the O’Neills were hoping the government would do what it could to reduce inflation so the Reserve Bank would consider bringing down interest rates.
“It’s hard to see them doing too much, but anything they can do to fight inflation and keep costs down would hopefully have an impact,” Alex said.
On Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ push for Australians to have more children, Alex said: “It’s all well and good to say ‘have more kids’, but the government has to understand the pressures more kids bring and follow through with policies to support families.”
Childcare support, for example, would help ease the pressure and make the couple more inclined to have more kids.
“I know when I return to work, childcare will be a substantial cost for us, so any help in that space would make a big difference,” Lauren added.
As a secondary school teacher, Lauren said more education funding was also important to her, both professionally and in terms of their plans for more children.
Budget reaction: The O’Neills were happy to see the government commit to spending money on cost-of-living relief.
“I think there’s some good things in there,” Alex said. “The electricity rebates are a real positive. Anything that can be done to keep a bit more money in our pockets … it’s definitely well received.”
Matt Golding Credit:
The pair were disappointed that there were no changes to childcare subsidies, as it is a looming cost in their household.
“I’ve always said it’s lucky we have parents who will help us out with childcare because it is super expensive,” Lauren said. “It is something you think about when you go back to work. If your wage is just going to cover childcare, what is the point of going back to work?”
Lauren said the expansion to the paid parental leave scheme was welcome, but not enough to entice the couple into having another child.
Divya Potharaju and Aditya Kastury
Divya, IT consultant and, at present, stay-at-home mother, 39, and Aditya, project manager, 41, Melbourne’s south-east.
Income: $150,000 currently but $260,000 when both working.
Divya Potharaju (right) and Aditya Kastury with children Rashi and Mayank, 6 months, and Tara, 4. Credit: Wayne Taylor
Budget wishlist: Potharaju and Kastury have a four-year-old in childcare and kindergarten and six-month-old twins. They bought their home six years ago and have a mortgage.
“I would like to see some attention paid to Medicare,” Kastury said. “While we do appreciate all the healthcare that we do get, what has happened in recent years is the number of GPs that are doing bulk-billing services has dramatically fallen. These days this means if one child falls sick, the other falls sick and GP visits are $60 a week, and it gets expensive very quickly. Any medication starts at $10. If there was increased support for GPs, that would be a huge support for the families.”
Potharaju said the increased cost of living was tough on families. “It is just the general rising cost of living, and there are plenty of families like us with three kids, and everything is more expensive at the moment,” she said. “There needs to be some support for families. I don’t think in the current economic scenario there is enough.”
Budget reaction: Potharaju said bulk-billing doctors would become even harder to find, and co-payment fees would continue to rise. She said capping the cost of prescription medicines was a start, but it would not provide relief for her household.
Kastury said $300 off their power bill was welcome but not the cost-of-living relief they needed. “It moves the needle, but it doesn’t move it as much as something like Medicare, interest rate or grocery-price relief. These are the money-hungry bills.”
Gelila Barrett
Legal officer and recent graduate, 25, Sydney’s inner west.
Income band: $75,000-$85,000.
Gelila Barrett.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
Budget wishlist: Barrett works full-time as a legal officer after finishing a law/criminology degree this year. With more than $70,000 in HECS debt and her rent increasing above what she can comfortably afford, Barrett was hoping the government would deliver more immediate cost-of-living relief for graduates beyond the already announced HECS indexation change.
“When I started uni, I saw [HECS] as a future problem, but now I’m living by myself and all the life payments that need to be paid, you realise that $800 each pay cycle is quite a lot,” she said.
“I think it would be better to have, say, a certain amount taken off your repayments each month, or halting payments while inflation is really high – something that has a real impact rather than something that will have more of an impact over 10 years.
“Immediate cost-of-living relief … like rent assistance or a lump-sum HECS relief … would make more of an impact in the current climate.”
Budget reaction: “I think it’s hard with any budget to tick all the boxes, but overall I’m happy with it, or as happy as you can be when you know they can’t deliver on everything,” Barrett said.
“The electricity bill rebate will be a big one that will help me, so I was very happy with that.
“With HECS debt relief, I would have probably preferred something that was just a straight sort of payment, a lump-sum deduction. But I think what they said they would do in taking away some [debt], and then having a cap on the indexation, that will be good in the coming years and months when things are going to continue to get harder with inflation.
“I was also happy with the PBS limit [on the maximum cost of medications for some] as I take some regular medications and I always get a bit of a shock at how expensive it ends up being.”
Albert Sikkens
Cafe owner, 40, Melbourne’s north.
Income: Typically $90,000 (none this year).
Albert Sikkens.Credit: Eddie Jim
Budget wishlist: Sikkens works six days a week at Mokum, the Dutch cuisine cafe he owns on Brunswick’s busy Sydney Road. Since buying the shop last year, Sikkens said his renovation costs had gone up, as had goods and services, while people had less disposable income for eating out.
“I have not been able to get myself any income,” he said. “Labour costs are already fairly high – which they need to be – but I can’t afford to pay staff to cover me.
“I’ve not been able to have time off, and I can’t afford to be sick. I’m relying on my partner to step in.”
Sikkens said he would love the government to introduce carer’s leave or sick leave to support small business owners getting started.
“In relation to the rising costs of electricity and gas, if there was some sort of grants to help pay for infrastructure to switch to green energy, such as solar panels, that would also be very welcome.”
Budget reaction: Sikkens said Labor’s stage 3 tax cuts, forecast to save an average of $36 per person per week, could boost hospitality trade.
“That works out as about one meal out or a coffee per day,” he said. “If they choose to spend that in my sector, then that might help.
“It will help people or businesses pretty much in every sector, with the average person having more money to spend.”
Sikkens said he’d apply for the energy rebate if he was eligible for it.
“My energy bills cost close to $2000 a month, so the $325 is not a huge amount.
“I would have liked to have seen something more that would encourage people to go green with their energy, which would also help reduce their energy spend.”
He said the extension of the $20,000 instant asset write-off scheme could be useful in helping him invest in renewables.
“Potentially, I could invest in some more energy-efficient equipment,” Sikkens said. “But it won’t really have a direct impact on revenue or profits.”
Craig George
Small business owner, 57, Sydney’s south-east.
Income: $80,000.
Craig George.Credit: Dion Georgopolous
Budget wishlist: George, who owns Maroubra Surf and Skate, says that with rising business costs, bills and insurance eating into his cash flow, he feels like he is just “working to pay tax”.
He was hoping the budget would deliver some form of relief package, including GST tax credits, for small businesses.
“Cash flow has never been worse … I’d like to see some form of offset for smaller businesses,” he said.
“We are paying roughly double what we used to for insurance. [If] you’re selling food, like a sandwich shop, you can put your products up to match it, but all our stuff comes in at a recommended retail price.”
Budget reaction: George said he had been let down by Labor’s budget.
The small business owner said a $325 power-bill rebate was “something at least” but “it’s not really going to help businesses”.
George said the extension of the instant asset write-off incentive for business owners was better in theory than in practice.
“It sounds good, but who’s got the 20 grand to spend to start with?” he said.
“I sort of feel like this budget was the budget you had when you weren’t having a budget. It did nothing for the economy.”
David Hart
Real estate agent/director, 62, Melbourne’s south-east.
Income: Over $200,000.
David Hart.Credit: Penny Stephens
Budget wishlist: Hart, a director of Buxton Brighton real estate agency, was hoping the budget would give people more confidence to invest in property.
“I just want to see people feeling confident about investing and going forward. I just think that’s been taken away,” he said.
Hart said he was grateful that HECS debt relief would feature in the budget as he has two children at university and one in year 12.
“That is a positive if they’re going to help students with HECS debts, but any assistance they give is good because whichever government is in, a HECS debt is a noose around their neck for a long time,” he said.
“I’d like to see a situation where my three kids aren’t going to be paying back the debt that’s been accumulated over the last few years.”
Budget reaction: “While I’m no economist, it sounds to me like a budget designed to give everyone a short-term win, like a modest tax cut. I’m not sure the business community shares the same optimism as our treasurer but really hope he can deliver on the raft of promises made tonight and that they are not simply rhetoric designed to place them well for an election next year.
“As with all budgets, let’s look back in 12 months’ time to see what has actually been achieved. I do think want to sound cynical but …”
Emily Sharpe
Studying psychology, part-time support co-ordinator at an employee assistance program, 28, Sydney’s east.
Income: $60,000.
Emily Sharpe.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Sharpe recently moved back to Sydney after living in London and says support for renters is crucial to help ease the cost-of-living crisis. The 28-year-old, who said finding a rental with her partner was extremely difficult, ideally wanted to see a rent freeze.
“We really struggled to find anywhere. It’s really extortionately expensive for what we’re living in,” she said. “It’s hard because there’s just this want to buy somewhere, but you don’t really want to move anywhere else and have to pay even $50 more because it feels like that would take away from any kind of purchasing power down the track.”
Sharpe, who is studying psychology and working part-time as a support co-ordinator, was also hoping the prac payment support announced earlier this month would be expanded to include mental health workers.
“Psychologists weren’t included in that and I just think that, especially given Albanese cut 20 to 10 sessions for the mental health plan, it’s a bit of a burn,” she said.
Budget reaction: “While it’s good – the 10 per cent increase to rent assistance – I just don’t think it really cuts it considering it doesn’t really meet the market situation, [with] a lot of people now having to come back to cities for work and all the other expenses going up in terms of groceries and childcare,” Sharpe said.
Julian Revell-Reade
Construction apprentice, 25, Sydney’s northern beaches.
Income: $60,000.
Julian Revell-Reade.Credit: Nick Moir
Budget wishlist: Revell-Reade is nearing the end of his construction apprenticeship. While he thinks his pay is fair, he said the government could do more to help curb the high attrition rate in the sector.
“It’s a pretty brutal job. Our bodies are being pulverised by wheelbarrows, buckets and jackhammers every day,” he said.
Revell-Reade suggested that funding for physical therapy, gym memberships or massages would go a long way.
He also said he had felt the strain of worker shortages and backed clearing the path for more migrants to take up jobs in the sector.
“You don’t need to be that skilled to get started in an apprenticeship, so anyone who has the language skills and is willing to work should be given a go,” he said.
Budget reaction: Revell-Reade said he did not think the 12-month extension of support payments for apprentices in priority occupations and an increase in hiring incentives for employers would do much to entice young tradies.
“I was hoping for more help for physical therapy, like massages or gym memberships to be deducted or assisted with, and more support for current apprentices,” he said.
“I’ve got a demolition going on and it’s brutal … It takes a mental toll, too.
“It’d be tough for a young lad to stick it out, especially when you can earn $30 an hour at the pub with your [Responsible Service of Alcohol qualification], as opposed to $16 or whatever as a young apprentice. It’s still a great profession; hopefully it leads to more enrolments.”
Martha Clark
Unemployed, 26, inner Melbourne.
Income: Approx. $15,000 ($700/month sole trader work + $580/month).
Martha Clark.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Budget wishlist: Clark has relied on JobSeeker since she was unexpectedly made redundant from her casual government administration job in February. She estimates she has applied for 30 to 40 jobs a month since then.
She says the uncertainty and excessive administration to get on JobSeeker, combined with its low rate, had made the experience “challenging mentally”.
Her main hope for the budget was an increase in the JobSeeker rate.
She said the thousands of extra dollars she would receive if the government lifted payments as its Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee recommended last year would make a “huge difference” to her life.
Clark suffers from chronic migraines, which can only be treated by an expensive medication that is not subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
“I would be too ill to work without the medication, so the trade-off is eating two meals a day to be able to afford the prescription,” she said.
Budget reaction: Clark said she felt let down.
“I’m not eligible for Commonwealth Rent Assistance, so this doesn’t make any difference to my circumstances,” she said.
“It’s quite upsetting because our government has really made no effort to tangibly help anyone on JobSeeker payments. I’m currently on the highest rate of JobSeeker that I can get, and it is still not enough to live on. If I didn’t have family to go to, I would be homeless.
“And my medication is one that’s not in sight for [listing on] the PBS, unfortunately. This is not making any difference to me.”
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