Premier slams RBA on rates
Annastacia Palaszczuk has pleaded for housing support in the federal budget and slammed the Reserve Bank for compounding the crippling cost-of-living crisis.
The Premier said financial pressures had “never been so far reaching in my lifetime”, and called for a wider strategy to address the issue.
She acknowledged homelessness was a major issue across the state and stressed the challenge and need to address the “greater inequality that’s occurring in our nation”.
Ms Palaszczuk said the surging cash rate inflicted by the Reserve Bank of Australia meant household budgets were being squeezed at a rate she had “never seen anything like”.
“We have to get to the root cause of that – what is actually causing it and what is driving it?” she told local ABC radio in Cairns ahead of regional parliament sitting in Queensland’s far north this week.
“I hope we’ll see some measures in the federal budget.
“Jim Chalmers is saying that there is going to be more costof-living relief for people but I absolutely acknowledge it is very difficult out there for people at the moment.
“The Reserve Bank continuing to increase those interest rates – I’ve never seen anything like it.
The Premier was also quizzed about the continued scourge of youth crime offending in the far north as the ABC presenter cited another incident overnight of children as young as 12 being involved in a violent attack.”
But Ms Palaszczuk again blamed parental failures as a major contributor to the issue.
“What is a 12-year-old doing out on the street?” she said.