Member for Barker Tony Pasin MP has criticised last week’s Federal Budget, which he said failed to address the cost of living crisis and “turns its back on rural and regional Australia”.


Mr Pasin said Australian’s were poorer under Labor and in its third Federal Budget, the Albanese Government was still failing to tackle inflation.


“This budget has fundamentally failed to tackle inflation and that is the only way to deliver lasting cost of living relief,” Mr Pasin said.


“The average Australian household with a mortgage is $35,000 worse off since Labor came to Government – a $300 energy rebate is not going to make up for that.”


Mr Pasin said that communities in regional Australia, including those in Barker, were being “disproportionately impacted by Labor’s poor decision making”.


“It is an obvious feature of this budget that regional communities are being starved of funding while budget measures benefit the large population centres in the eastern states,” he said.


“This budget is more about billionaires than battlers.


“The budget has failed the grape growers of the Riverland, it’s failed to support our farmers and it’s failed to deliver any additional funding to local councils.


“While our roads have fallen into disrepair under Albanese … the budget failed to address South Australia’s $3b road maintenance backlog, let alone fund much needed upgrades to our regional freight networks.”