The Shadow Treasurer Dr Steve Thomas says offering one month payment options for vehicle registration is yet another admission from the McGowan Government that the current cost of living rises are hurting many in the WA community.
“This is one more acknowledgement, but in reality it is a very small contribution from a very rich Government’ Dr Thomas said.
“The savings made by West Australians in shifting from a quarterly to a monthly payment scheme will be miniscule, so there will only be a measurable advantage if it helps some people with their cash flow.”
“I also note the Government’s media release does not ensure that there is not an additional cost involved in switching to monthly payments, as there are with other Government charges.”
Dr Thomas said this paltry contribution to cost of living pressures did not stack up with the mountains of cash the McGowan Government is sitting on during this latest mining boom.
“Mark McGowan has been more interested in sitting in his money bin rolling in the cash provided by massive surpluses thanks to the iron ore boom than using that wealth to help struggling people” Dr Thomas said.
“He is sitting on more than $20 billion in surpluses over five years, and in the next two weeks he will announce another final budget surplus near $6 billion for 2021-22, so he can well and truly afford to give more back to struggling households.”
“I have been saying for nearly a year that the McGowan Government should be doing more to help families and households as the community grapples with the rapidly rising cost of living” Dr Thomas said.
“It would have had far more meaning today if the Premier froze Government fees and charges like vehicle registration for the current financial year rather than simply spreading out when you have to pay it.”
“The State Government has a role to play in helping all West Australians cope with the massive increase in their daily costs, and it should immediately focus on how much people pay for Government fees and charges rather than when they pay it.”