WA Labor are the grinches who have stolen Christmas for the hundreds of thousands of struggling West Australians, according to Libby Mettam, WA Liberal Leader.

“WA Labor has failed to listen to struggling West Australians,” said Ms Mettam.

“The Government has never been more flush with cash, at a time when families are being forced to choose between paying the bills and buying their kids Christmas presents.

“Labor has failed to deliver on health, Labor has failed to deliver on housing, and Labor has failed to keep people safe.

“Labor is a tired, incompetent, eight-year-old government.

“Are you better off after eight years of hard Labor?”

Ms Mettam said the mid-year review was a missed opportunity on the eve of Christmas to provide meaningful cost of living relief.

“This was an opportunity to provide meaningful, targeted and systematic cost of living relief for families, but WA Labor has decided to fund their pet projects instead.

“WA Labor’s plan for cost-of-living relief is free zoo tickets, while they pump $270m into yet another infrastructure project in Westport.

“Support agencies are reporting unprecedented demand for their services, but this heartless Government has used the mid-year review to invest more in planning a port than cost of living relief”

Announced in the mid-year Labor has pocketed $24 billion in surpluses since coming to power – courtesy of booming iron ore prices and the previous Federal Liberal Government’s GST deal – while WA has become the least affordable rental market in the country, and demand for support services has skyrocketed.

The combined surpluses banked by WA Labor plus their METRONET blowouts are enough to build 17 brand new Fiona Stanley-style hospitals.

While the Cook Labor Government announced an additional $270m for Westport, they provided just $70m in ‘cost-of-living measures’ – most of which was previously announced.

Shadow Treasurer Steve Martin said Labor was so desperate to hide its excessive tax take in this year’s mid-year review, they released it on the eve of Christmas.

“WA Labor continues to use families and small businesses as cash cows, banking a $3.1 billion surplus, underwritten by more than $1bn in extra fees in charges.

“Of that, more than $700m is from additional duties paid by families on insurance and buying a home, with nearly $300m ripped from households paying to keep the family car on the road,” said Mr Martin.

“Their housing policy is a pale imitation of the policy announced by the WA Liberals in November, with the support of UDIA.

“Putting downward pressure on housing costs is important, but we have a Government benefiting from the biggest boom in our state’s history and they are doing nothing to immediately help the families struggling with cost of living.

“WA Labor has the resources to cut their sneaky energy tax, they could freeze future increases to fees and charges, cut taxes on employment, cut taxes on stamp duty, or cut payroll taxes but instead they fund another transport project.”