The cost-of-living crisis has left many Western Australians unable to afford the basic necessities, due in part to the Cook Labor government slugging families over $1,000 per year in fees and charges.

Rising interest rates have added $1,500 to average monthly mortgage payments, severely straining household budgets.

Rental prices have also skyrocketed, with the median weekly rent rising from $340 in February 2017 to $650 in November 2024 — a 91 per cent increase in almost eight years.

As a result, there are currently over 1,500 homeless Western Australians, and those are just the ones being tracked in the data.

Nearly 200,000 Western Australian families experienced severe food insecurity in 2024.

Increasing electricity and water bills, along with vehicle registration costs, have made it more difficult for everyday Western Australians to manage their living costs.

During their election campaign in 2017, WA Labor promised no new taxes or increases on taxes.

Instead, they implemented a significant increase in electricity charges in their first budget.

This resulted in an annual increase of $169 for a typical household — a 10.9 per cent increase.

This equates to slugging families $1352 over Labor’s term of government.

While Roger Cook proclaims his government has created one of the strongest economies in the country, WA families are struggling.

The WA Liberals know Western Australians need a meaningful plan to tackle cost of living pressures.

Genuine cost of living relief means letting people keep more of their own money – not events and free tickets to the zoo to provide short-term distraction.

Western Australia needs a resilient, affordable, and sustainable energy future, ensuring that no one is forced to sacrifice essential needs to pay their bills.

Only a WA Liberal Government will deliver it.

The WA Liberals believe that setting WA up for a prosperous future starts with helping Western Australians with the pressures on their household budgets.

The Cook Labor Government doubled the daily supply charge from 48.6 cents to 94.9 cents a day in 2017, and have increased it yearly to its current rate of 113.22 cents per day.

For the many Western Australians who are already grappling with rising inflation and housing pressures, these increases feel like an added burden the government won’t meaningfully address.

Roger Cook seems intent on squandering WA’s largest boom without spreading the benefits to the average Western Australian.

The government have wildly misplaced their priorities at a time when the livelihoods of Western Australians deserve to be the only priority.

A WA Liberal Government will reverse Labors energy tax by reducing the fixed charge by 46.3 cents per day.

This will allow Western Australians to keep $676 of their hard-earned money over our first term of government.

The removal of Labor’s electricity tax is designed to provide immediate and essential relief for households and small businesses bearing the brunt of rising costs.

By stabilising energy costs, we aim to ease the burden on families already grappling with escalating housing, food, and utility expenses.

This change is about fairness for families and a commitment to responsible economic management for the benefit of all Western Australians.

Western Australians deserve to keep more of their own money, at a time when the government is well-resourced to provide immediate and comprehensive relief.

Only the WA Liberal Party is committed to making life more affordable, supporting Western Australians through this crisis, and protecting our communities against further financial instability.