Anthony Albanese has vowed ‘it is going to get better’ for millions of Australians doing it tough during the cost-of-living crisis.
The Prime Minister and his fiancée Jodie Haydon showed they had some understanding of what regular Aussies are going through this week, when Ms Haydon wore the same dress to the Midwinter Ball she’d worn two years before.
Mr Albanese also appeared keen to avoid negative attention during the long lasting cost of living crisis, opting to wear a simple black suit on Wednesday night.
He followed that up with an interview with the Daily Telegraph on Saturday, touting his cost-of-living relief measures and dropping a major hint on when his wedding to Ms Haydon could be set.
‘It’s going to get better because we have been very conscious about putting in place short-term cost of living relief that’s immediate in a way that makes the economy in the medium term better,’ he said.
The number one message the government wants to get through is that the Stage Three tax cuts finally came in this week, along with electricity bill relief.
‘Every single Australian’s pay packet from this week has got larger, more cash for them in order to deal with cost of living pressures,’ Mr Albanese said.
He said he and Ms Haydon have not yet set a date for their marriage, but that they ‘have no intention of having an elaborate, over-the-top wedding’.
The Prime Minister and his fiancée Jodie Haydon (picture) showed they have some understanding of what regular Aussies are going through this week, when Ms Haydon wore the same dress to the Midwinter Ball she’d worn two years before
The Prime Minister said he in no way thought Labor was certain to win the federal election due by next May, but if it does, his wedding could be ‘in the second term’.
‘We haven’t finally determined the date yet,’ Mr Albanese said.
Australia’s 13.6million taxpayers got tax relief on July 1 but Labor’s revisions to the plan initially brought in by the former Coalition government means more sweeteners for lower and middle-income earners.
Part-time workers earning $45,000 a year – or less than new the full-time minimum wage of $47,627 – are getting back $805 a year instead of nothing.
Those on $80,000 – slightly more than the average wage of $74,500 – get back $1,679 instead of $875.
And everyone, regardless of their income, will be get $300 electricity rebates from July 1, in four quarterly instalments of $75.
The $300 figure may have been chosen because it neatly fits in with Mr Albanese’s claim in the 2022 election that a Labor government would reduce power prices by $275.
But with inflation going up and the serious prospect of another rate rise that the 3.8million Australian households with a mortgage can ill afford, the PM still insisted the tax cuts would make ‘a real difference for people’.
He pointed out that along with tax and energy bill relief, wages, superannuation and paid parental leave have also increased under his government.
‘So people are earning more and then getting to keep more of what they earn is very significant,’ Mr Albanese said.
The Prime Minister said the housing crisis that has led to massive rent increases and an ever diminishing chance for people on average incomes to get on the housing ladder, needs to be tackled with better planning and higher densities in major cities.
Australia’s 13.6million taxpayers got tax relief on July 1 but Labor’s revisions to the plan initially brought in by the former Coalition government means more sweeteners for lower and middle-income earners
He said the issue had been neglected for too long and that there needs to be more housing around railway stations and transport corridors.
Mr Albanese also said the government wants ‘to help developers to build rental homes, particularly for affordable housing.
‘We need to take every opportunity to increase housing supply.’
Though his government can run until May 2024, there has been increasing chatter lately that there could be an election before the year is out.
He tried to hose the rumours down by saying he thinks three-year terms for the federal government are too short, but did not rule it out entirely.
‘The idea that I would run to an election next month is certainly not on my mind,’ he said, leaving the option of a late 2024 election open.