THURSDAY 27 MARCH 2025-
KATE HOOK – STATEMENT ON THE 2025 FEDERAL BUDGET
There are reasons for hope in this year’s budget but frustratingly, there’s a lack of ambition, long-term thinking, and investment in measures that strike at the root of our biggest challenges.
There was good news for health and education, particularly for women’s health, the $1 billion fund for early education and childcare, full funding for government schools and the 20% reduction in HECS/HELP debt with fairer indexation. However, with no change to Jobseeker and Youth Allowance, and only a $2.5m increase in funding for crisis accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence, our most vulnerable are still not getting the help they need.
This year’s budget offers a range of short-term measures to ease cost-of-living pressures—rebates, tax cuts for all Australians, small savings on energy and healthcare. These will undoubtedly help working Australians are welcome in the immediate term, but they’re not a plan for permanent cost of living relief. They’re band-aids on a much deeper wound.
People in Calare are doing it tough. We’re facing rising rents, unaffordable housing, energy bills that keep climbing, and services that are harder to access every year. This budget doesn’t tackle the structural causes of those pressures—like a broken housing system, underinvestment in regional infrastructure, or the cost barriers for households to have permanently cheap or zero electricity bills.
The budget also fails to assist workers and communities in coal regions to be supported and prosper in the transition to affordable, renewable energy. A smooth transition requires funding to support career pathways, innovation and new industries that take advantage of an abundance of cheap, clean power and provide hundreds of well-paid jobs.
This budget missed the chance to achieve both cost of living relief and progress on climate change, which are intrinsically linked. It was light on clean economy opportunities that also reduce emissions, when we know that climate change is already costing us in disaster cleanups, insurance, food prices and the need to build community resilience. We also know that the solution to these problems involves smart, strategic policy that can achieve both cost of living relief and progress on climate change.
It was encouraging to see investment in future-focused industries, such as green steel and aluminium, green metals, investment in smart, modular, prefabricated homes and a boost to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. All steps in the right direction for a clean energy economy, but the fact that revenue from the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax has been slashed, now means Australia is collecting more tax from beer drinkers than from fossil fuel companies. This is just another example of the major parties being too afraid to take on their powerful donors.
This budget missed the chance to achieve both cost of living relief and progress on climate change, which are intrinsically linked. It was light on clean economy opportunities that also reduce emissions, when we know that climate change is already costing us in disaster cleanups, insurance, food prices and the need to build community resilience. We also know that the solution to these problems involves smart, strategic policy that can achieve both cost of living relief and progress on climate change.
It was encouraging to see investment in future-focused industries, such as green steel and aluminium, green metals, investment in smart, modular, prefabricated homes and a boost to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. All steps in the right direction for a clean energy economy, but the fact that revenue from the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax has been slashed, now means Australia is collecting more tax from beer drinkers than from fossil fuel companies. This is just another example of the major parties being too afraid to take on their powerful donors.
We needed bold, long-term investment in public and community housing. We needed tax reform that closes loopholes and funds essential services. We needed to back regional jobs in clean industry, healthcare, education and local food systems. Instead, we got announcements built for headlines, not for lasting change. Australians deserve better than another round of short-lived relief. My policies focus on long-term or permanent cost of living relief, such as my proposal for government funded Income Contingent Loans that mean rooftop solar and batteries are accessible to all households, regardless of income.
We deserve leadership with the courage to take on the big challenges and reshape our economy, collaborating across the political spectrum. I’ll keep pushing for that future—one that’s fairer, more sustainable, and built to last.
I’ll work with the diverse communities of Calare to find the solutions that will actually work for all of us. I value every voice, every story and encourage all input for community-led solutions to our challenges, ensuring things are done with the community, not to them. I answer only to the people of Calare, not to a party, and not to big corporations making political donations that influence decision-making and budgets.