Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie has given this year’s Federal Budget a “B”
The Independent MP said she is pleased to see a measured approach to spending with some cost of living relief but that the budget could have gone further to help older South Australians and small business operators.
“I think if you’re a university student, if you’re an apprentice or looking into doing some further education through TAFE, it’s a good looking budget. There is $300 for every household, $325 for electricity and $325 for small businesses which I think will be welcome, but really just a small token as some of them have had enormous power increases,” Rebekha Sharkie told ARN’s Jennie Lenman and Adam Connelly today.
Desperately-needed interchange upgrades for the South-Eastern Freeway have been included in this year’s Federal Budget, after being axed last year.
Mount Barker and Verdun works will now go ahead at a cost of $120 M and $100M has been set aside for further upgrades of the Freeway.
It follows a call from Sharkie and State-based Independent Dan Cregan for the investment.
Sharkie also advocated for more investment in home care packages for older Australians, but says that call was not answered.
“We knew last December more than 50,000 people across Australia were eligible for a home care package were waiting, some of them up to a year, and the Government’s only providing around 24,000 packages going forward, so we’re not even going to catch up to that backlog.”
She has though welcomed much needed relief for people requiring medications on the PBS with $3.4 billion for new or amended PBS listed medications and a $484 million PBS medicine price freeze.
Hear Rebekha Sharkie’s full chat with ARN’s Adam Connelly and Jennie Lenman via the podcast play window below: