WA Gov’s focus on cost-of-living ‘hasn’t changed’ despite reports of hiking utility bills by 3 per cent

The Cook Government’s focus on cost-of-living relief for struggling West Australians “hasn’t changed” despite reports it is set to hike power and water prices by up to 3 per cent next month, a minister has insisted. As reported in The Sunday Times, it understood bills are set to go up from July 1 by about 2.8 per cent — the same as Perth’s consumer price index — despite calls from welfare groups for a freeze on government fees and charges in next month’s Budget. Speaking on Sunday, minister Sabine Winton refused to confirm the move, saying only that “the hallmark of this Labor Government and our being in government for the last eight years is around our responsibly management of the State’s finances”. “And I will say that won’t change in this year’s Budget, with a particular focus on health housing and jobs and continuing to support people,” she said. “We continue to be focused on people doing it tough. “I note too, the last five Budgets, the cost of the household goods and services has bene under the rate of inflation.” Asked how she thought people who are already struggling would deal with the price rise on their bills, Ms Winton responded: “You’re absolutely right, there are sections of people within our community that continue to do it tough around cost of living, and our focus on that hasn’t changed.” “This Budget is around doing what people of Western Australia expected us to do and that was to deliver on our election commitments, including those cost of living measures that we went to the election on,” she said. It is also understood the Government has decided against another power credit, despite Premier Roger Cook saying before the State election he wasn’t ruling out an electricity bill reprieve. Ms Winton said she would not “speculate on particular measures within the Budget”. “As I said, the Budget will be out on June 19, but what I can reaffirm is that this year’s Budget will be no different to other Budgets,” she said. “We have been strong economic managers of the economy. We’ve got the strongest economy in (Australia) and that has allowed us to provide a number of measures in the last few years and going forward, to support people, whether that’s housing, health measures or cost of living.” On Saturday, welfare groups said the Government’s strong financial position — a $3.5b surplus forecast for the 2025-26 financial year — meant it could afford to freeze bills. In last year’s Budget, power charges went up 2.5 per cent. But the Government gave households a $400 power bill credit. According to Treasury, a “representative” household can now expect to pay $1900 in power bills each year, compared to $1779 in 2021. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas on Sunday again questioned “what are the priorities of this Cook Labor Government?” “We have a Government who made a lot of noise in the lead-up to the election about their efforts around cost-of-living, about trying to reduce the burden on every day West Australians,” he said. “And yet at the very first opportunity, the first Budget after that election, we hear that they are going to raise fees and charges, that your water bills are going to go up, your power bills are going to go up, there’s not going to be an electricity credit, and at the very same time they are going to build a $220 million racetrack at Burswood Park. Does that sound right to you?”