Tackling the Cost of Living

The Nationals WA in Government will establish a Minister for Northern Western Australia and a standalone government Agency to drive investment, support the region’s critical resources industry, and back the people who keep Australia’s economic engine room running.

Leader of The Nationals WA, Shane Love MLA, said Northern WA deserves a dedicated Minister and Agency to champion its interests and unlock its full potential.

“This new Ministerial role will complement the existing Federal Minister for Northern Australia and reinforce the economic significance of the region, following the same geographic lines.”

“The North is vital to the State and National economy, yet consistently overlooked in decision-making. The Nationals WA will change this with a Minister solely focused on the region’s needs—whether driving investment, securing jobs, or eliminating barriers which hold businesses and communities back,” Mr Love said.

Legislative Council candidate and Nationals WA State President, Julie Freeman, will serve as the inaugural Minister for Northern Western Australia in a Nationals Government.

Shadow Minister for Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald, welcomed the commitment to establish a new stand-alone agency saying it would ensure a laser-focus on growing the region’s economy.

“The WA Nationals are synonymous with policies that drive long-term investment to the regions including the signature Royalties for Regions program when they were in government. Today’s announcement that there will be a dedicated unit with a dedicated focus on driving investment in the state’s north, builds on that trackrecord, she said.

Senator McDonald said the announcement went hand-in-glove with the Federal Coalition’s recent commitment to ensure Northern Australia will get a permanent multi-billion-dollar Infrastructure Fund to underpin long term jobs and new industries.

She said the current $7 billion Northern Infrastructure Fund – the NAIF – which had so-far underpinned 20,000 jobs in northern Australia, had a sunset clause to expire 30 June 2026.

“Under a Federal Coalition that fund will not expire. Instead, it will become permanent and will be able to help provide low interest loans for projects being driven by WA’s new stand-alone agency for the north,” she said.

Mrs Freeman said the Nationals first commitment to Northern WA will be delivering immediate cost-of-living relief to nearly 50,000 families struggling with skyrocketing insurance premiums in cyclone-prone regions.

“The Nationals WA will introduce a $500 annual rebate on home insurance for households north of the 26th parallel saving families $2,000 over four years and help ensure more residents can afford to protect their homes,” Ms Freeman said.

“In Northern WA, home insurance is becoming increasingly unaffordable, leaving too many families without the protection they need.

“In recent weeks, we’ve seen the potential risk and havoc caused by Cyclone Zelia in the Pilbara, and it’s unacceptable that so many households remain uninsured or underinsured because they simply can’t afford the
rising premiums.”

The ACCC Insurance Monitoring Report confirms the Pilbara is one of the most expensive regions in Australia for home insurance, with a median premium of $5,169 per year – more than three times higher than Perth, where the median premium is just $1,657.

Mrs Freeman said the WA Government is raking in ten per cent of the cost of these insurance premiums as stamp duty. This $500 rebate will effectively refund hardworking Northern Australian families this impost “The Nationals WA’s $500 rebate would provide immediate relief, encourage more homeowners to stay insured in high-risk areas, and help build a more sustainable insurance sector in the north.” Mrs Freeman said.

Leader Shane Love MLA said the policy would cost up to $25 million per year, and deliver real, targeted relief for families in the Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberly regions.

“For years, Labor has ignored the rising cost of insurance in Northern WA,” Mr Love said.

“This rebate is a practical and responsible way to keep families safe and protect our northern communities,” he said.

“The Nationals WA are the only party who take the future of our North seriously, these measures are just the beginning of what we will deliver in Government.”

The Nationals WA have announced a forward-thinking policy to build energy microgrids in Western
Australia, aiming to address long-standing energy reliability issues and support Australia’s
commitment to reducing emissions.

Leader of The Nationals WA, Shane Love MLA, said frequent power disruptions in regional towns—
caused by their distance from power generation sources and the transmission grid—highlight the
urgent need for targeted solutions

“Reliable energy provision is the cornerstone of any modern economy, powering industries,
businesses, schools, health facilities, and communities.”

“We depend on low-cost, reliable electricity for essential services such as refrigeration, technology,
telecommunications, petrol pumps, manufacturing, and water supply,” Mr Love said.

“By leveraging advancements in technology, microgrids can minimise disruptions, improve reliability,
and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.”

In Government, The Nationals WA will invest $3 million in a pilot microgrid in the town of Mullewa,
delivering desperately needed power reliability.

The Mullewa grid will leverage a combination of renewable energy sources, including solar and battery
storage and will pave the way for establishing additional microgrids in the Local Government Areas
identified by Western Power as most affected by outages.

The Nationals will also secure Kalgoorlie’s long-term energy stability by developing a microgrid in the
Goldfields City.

While temporary private gas fired generators have recently become available due to the nickel
industry downturn, the problem in providing reliable power is far from solved.

The Nationals foresee future growth in Kalgoorlie and plan to bolster power supply with a microgrid to
meet future needs.

The Nationals WA policy will also encourage land developers to submit plans to integrate community
microgrids into all greenfield developments.

“Community microgrids will address the challenges of housing delivery, lower power bills for
residents, reduce the impact of new load on the grid, and contribute to Australia’s net-zero goals.”

“The Nationals WA are committed to delivering sustainable and reliable energy solutions for regional
Western Australia, improving quality of life while building a resilient future for our state,” Mr Love said.

Local Government Areas identified by Western Power as most affected by outages include;

• Shire of Chapman Valley
• Shire of Dalwallinu
• Shire of Dandaragan
• Shire of Irwin
• Shire of Lake Grace
• Shire of Mingenew
• Shire of Morawa
• Shire of Quairading
• Shire of Ravensthorpe
• Shire of Three Springs

A future Liberal-National State Government will end the uncertainty surrounding WA’s school bus service contracts, providing a stable and sustainable future for the essential orange school bus network that so many regional families rely on.

In a united announcement today alongside BusWA representatives, Deputy Leader of The Nationals WA, Peter Rundle MLA, and Deputy Liberal Leader, Steve Martin MLA, pledged a transformative approach to school bus services that will prioritise operators, students and families across WA.

• Both the WA Liberals and the WA Nationals have committed to delivering the following key changes:
• Converting all existing school bus contracts to evergreen contracts
• Reinstate contract relocations to protect services

Expand student eligibility from 4.5km to 2.5km from the school.

Mr Rundle criticised the current contracting system introduced by WA Labor, which has placed mounting pressure on regional school bus operators by phasing out the preferred evergreen contract model.

“Since 2017, Labor has undermined the stability of our regional school bus network by pushing short-term contracts that favour the lowest bidder, which often results in lower wages, cheaper buses, and contracts awarded to large companies with no real connection to the community,” Mr Rundle said.

“Evergreen contracts, which cover 80 per cent of current services, are the backbone of our school bus network. They encourage long-term investment, allowing operators to hire quality drivers and maintain high standards.”

Mr Martin highlighted the important of reinstating contract relocations – a policy that allows operators to retain their contracts if student numbers decline.

“By ending the evergreen contract model and going for the cheapest bidder, the Cook Labor Government has chosen to back anyone but small local businesses in regional WA,” Mr Martin said.

“The Cook Labor Government’s decision doesn’t really save taxpayers money, and it destroys regional businesses in the process

“We understand evergreen contracts offer a robust solution to the challenges faced by the school bus service sector, particularly in regional and remote areas.

“This approach not only supports the long-term delivery of essential public services but also aligns with our commitment to restoring regional services, outlined in our Building A Better Future blueprint,” he said.

The Liberals and Nationals will also expand student eligibility from 4.5 kilometres to 2.5 kilometres from school, with Mr Rundle emphasising the disparity between regional and metropolitan public transport.

The Opposition-Alliance has renewed calls for the Cook Labor Government to urgently provide a $300 million funding boost to charities following a new report showing almost 400,000 Western Australian households are going hungry amid cost-of-living pressures.

The Alliance has been urging the government since the start of the year to use some of its surpluses to support charities filling the gap, but the Cook Labor Government continues to turn a blind eye.

“It is unconscionable that in a State that has recorded $17 billion in surpluses over the past three years, we have more Western Australian families than ever skipping meals or going days without eating,” Shadow Treasurer Steve Thomas said.

The latest Foodbank Hunger Report 2023 revealed 388,000 WA households experienced food insecurity last year, up by 26 per cent or 80,000 households in the last year.

The report stated cost of living was to blame for food insecurity in 85 per cent of affected WA households.

“This is a whole new demographic of working poor that are now seeking help with more than half of those accessing food relief services in paid employment,” Dr Thomas said.

“At the same time, the Cook Labor Government has hit Western Australians with an extra $154 in fees and charges this year, with an additional $513 in fees forecast over the next three years.

“On the back of record iron ore royalties and the GST floor, implemented by the former Federal Liberal-National Government, the Premier could easily afford to share some of the State’s wealth to help charities being forced to fill the ever-increasing need.

“We are again calling for a $150 million boost for each of the next two years to help our critical support services provide targeted relief to the overwhelming number of West Australians struggling to keep food on the table. It’s the very least this government can and should do.”

Opposition Leader Shane Love said as the wealthiest State in the nation, it defied belief that the Cook Labor Government was not spending some its much-touted surpluses to help West Australians make ends meet.

“No child should go hungry in a State as rich as Western Australia. This is an easy and affordable solution to provide urgent and targeted support to those charities doing the heavy lifting,” Mr Love said.

“During this cost-of-living crisis, I call on Premier Roger Cook to focus his attention on the people of this State. Charities provide remarkable help on the ground and should be one of this Premier’s priorities, not another overseas trip or an embassy in Canberra.”

WA Liberal Leader Libby Mettam said Foodbank was just one charity reporting the significant spike in demand with charities across the board reporting unprecedented calls for help.

“Charities are often the first port of call for the most vulnerable in our society and are under incredible pressure to meet the shortfall in government services,” Ms Mettam said.

“It is astounding that in a State as wealthy as WA, an ever-increasing number of households, many with children, are being forced to choose between paying their mortgage or putting food on the table.”