Wednesday, 2 August 2023

Cost of living

Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:59): (349) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Treasurer, and the action I seek is for the government to address the current cost-of-living crisis, provide assistance to struggling Victorians and address the structural issues that led to this crisis. It is no secret that we are in a cost-of-living crisis. I am certain every member of this place has spoken to their constituents who are struggling and begging for help. We in this place have the privilege to not be financially affected by this crisis. We must not forget this privilege was given to us by the people. We have a responsibility to help Victorians, as the people with the power to do so, and we need to be doing more.

Last week I sat down and decided to take a look at the grocery prices from a major supermarket from 2019 as opposed to 2023, with the knowledge that this supermarket chain recorded millions of dollars in net profit in the last year. I put together what I would view as a standard Aussie basket – you know, the ingredients for a spaghetti bolognaise and sandwiches, yoghurt, fruit, milk, tuna, rice, 2-minute noodles et cetera – essentially the basic items that you would need to feed someone for a few days. I tell you: that basket was almost 40 per cent more expensive in 2023 than it was in 2019 for the exact same items and brands, 40 per cent more expensive, because whilst national ABS data says groceries overall have increased by 9.6 per cent, that does not take into account the massive increases on items more commonly found in everyday baskets. A survey completed by the Guardian just last week found that 72 per cent of people are reducing the amount of food they buy due to the cost. Foodbank are reporting more people than ever are accessing Foodbank services for the first time. Victorians are skipping food or accessing food banks due to cost, whilst the supermarket chains report record profits.

Groceries are just one singular problem out of many that are making up this cost-of-living crisis – a result of years of policy failure from many governments, state and federal, that have ignored monopolisation and corporate profiteering and a result of rampant neoliberalism that has allowed essential services to act in the interests of their profit margin instead of for the consumer. That neoliberalism has seen the systematic dismantling of public services and of nationalised essential industries, allowing them to fall into disrepair to excuse them being sold off to the highest bidder at the cost of the people who we are supposed to represent. Where is the line? How broken do things have to be before you take genuine action?