Amid the chest-beating spin from the government, every line item in the budget handed down on Thursday will have a real impact on West Australians.
So we asked some of them what they thought.
Carolyn Simone in Darlington.Credit: Ross Swanborough
Carolyn Simone
Carolyn Simone is a domestic cleaner and single mother of three.
She said the school assistance payment was worth a very welcome $650 to her household.
Simone also welcomed the electricity credit, but was a little concerned the government wasn’t using its $3.2 billion surplus wisely enough to improve areas like housing and education.
“That’s plenty of surplus, so why not spend a little bit more on housing? We need to do something about this housing crisis that we’re in,” she said.
Simone said, like many other households, she felt under pressure by her mortgage and felt for those who had been pushed into homelessness.
“If I could no longer afford to pay the mortgage that I’m paying, which is at the moment cheaper than what every other rental out there is, and there are no rentals I would literally be homeless,” she said.
Simone said she also wanted to see more money being spent on improving the education system and paying teachers more.
Edward Cooney
Edward Cooney is enrolled in a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, specialising in animal science, at Murdoch University.
He said while the $400 electricity credit would afford some relief, the cost of renting was so high that it would not have the same effect as it did when the scheme started four years ago.
Cooney also said the rental market was dire, and that while he was lucky enough to have been able to take over his current rental from his brother, his sister had struggled for months before finding anything.
“Even the bare-bones houses were $800 per week or more because demand is so high – that is the new ‘reasonable’ price even though income has not kept up,” he said.
Edward Cooney said while the $400 electricity payment would help, it would not go as far as it did in previous years due to cost of living.
“The budget has committed to build hundreds of new affordable rental homes in the coming years. It’s a start, but it’s not yet keeping up with the scale of the issue and there is no real timeframe on when these will be completed.”
Cooney also flagged promises made on climate change and decarbonisation in the budget, echoing the concerns of many in the younger generation it would not be enough to save the environment for the future.
“They are picking and choosing what to close down, like the coal-fired power plants, while still placating the mining sector, rather than doing as much good as they can,” he said.
There was also nothing in the budget specifically aimed at helping university students alone, he said.
Bradley Horton
Single father of one Bradley Horton, 52, said the cost of living crunch was hurting him hard and had curbed his spending, which meant purchasing less meat in his weekly shop.
He said the $150 school assistance payment had helped and he “couldn’t complain” about the $400 credit, but would have preferred housing was addressed more in the budget.
Brad Horton at home in Calista.Credit: Ross Swanborough
“Can’t complain because it’s 400 bucks, but you know, other stuff like helping towards rental stuff would be better,” he said.
“Even the fact that they could put in the law where you can’t get evicted without a reason would be nice.”
Horton wasn’t impressed by the 2.5 per cent increase in the cost of utilities like electricity and water obscured by the electricity credit.
“Not good. Especially when people have electric heaters and stuff,” he said.
Ned Caporn-Bennett
Ned Caporn-Bennett is in his third year studying an advanced diploma of fashion at TAFE.
There was plenty in the budget aimed at improving education and training, including more than $8 million to continue the fee-free TAFE placements into 2025.
Ned Caporn-Bennett said arts-based TAFE subjects should have been better considered in the state budget.Credit: Holly Thompson
But Caporn-Bennett said he would have liked to see more courses included in that program, specifically more arts-based courses that were often forgotten about or underfunded.
“I actually believe education should be free in general, but more consideration for the arts would be a significant step forward,” he said.
All school students can also travel for free Monday to Friday – a cost-of-living promise announced in February.
But this does not extend to TAFE or university students, except for the free travel on Sunday handed out to all West Australians.
Caporn-Bennett said while he would make use of this occasionally, it would be a much better cost of living initiative if it was free travel on a weekday instead, stating he travelled by train to get to TAFE almost every weekday.
“On a Sunday it just feels a bit tokenistic,” he said.
He also said he had been feeling the cost of living increase in his everyday life, particularly when shopping for groceries, stating he had significantly cut back on the amount he was buying and was “scabbing” more food from his parents.
Joel Valvasori-Pereza
A quick glance over the state budget looked a lot like “more of the same” to Joel Valvasori-Pereza, owner and chef of Subiaco-based Italian restaurant Lulu La Delizia.
“There really wasn’t a heap for businesses,” Valvasori-Pereza told this masthead.
“I’m no economist, but it feels like this budget is just a few holes being plugged, and I’m not sure who the real winners are. And that doesn’t seem right for a state with a surplus like ours.”
For the past five months, Valvasori-Pereza says he has noticed the restaurant’s customer base tightening their belts at a time when its operating costs are increasing.
And the rising cost of living isn’t just a problem for his clientele, but the 20 staff he has on the books.
Valvasori-Pereza doubts the state’s cost-of-living relief, headlined by a $400 electricity credit and concessions for families with school-aged children, will trickle down to small businesses like his premium restaurant.
Joel Valvasori-Pereza from Subiaco’s award-winning Lulu La Delizia.Credit: Jess Wylde.
“People are hurting, and we can feel it as a small business,” he said.
“And the money, the credits, where does that go? Call me cynical, but I can tell you it doesn’t end up trickling down to small businesses like ours.
“I don’t know whether it’s strictly up to the state government to fix the situation, but I don’t think they’re doing enough.”
While not large enough a business to be subjected to the state’s hefty payroll tax, Valvasori-Pereza echoed the sentiments the Chamber of Commerce WA reiterated on Thursday — the current system was enough to stifle any plans for future growth.
Valvasori-Pereza said the business’ most significant challenge was the costs associated with recruiting skilled workers from overseas while the state’s labour pool remained constrained, which he said could run up to $20,000 per person.
And while acknowledging the visa system was the responsibility of the federal government, he said the state’s capacity to house recruits, and affordably, was also a concern.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.