By Michael Sinclair
WITH Federal Treasurer Peter Costello to deliver his 11th budget next week, Star asked Brimbank residents what issues they wanted addressed and what headed their budget wish list.
Mother and daughter Noeline Robertson and Sarah Henderson may be separated by age but face many of the same issues during the working week.
Petrol, access to public transport, the costs of education and “tax upon tax” top their problems.
While they admit to not paying much attention to the details of the budget, both insisted that benefits need to be felt by working people, struggling to make ends meet and find a job in a difficult working environment.
“It seems that we are paying tax on more and more things these days, and it’s not until you get to the end of the week or you look at your receipt at just how much more your paying for general things,” Ms Robertson said.
Last week petrol prices topped $1.45 and filling a car is almost impossible to pay for, according to Ms Henderson.
“I’m lucky because I take public transport to work in the city but I know many people that are spending more than $100 a week now to fill up and people just can’t really afford to drive anywhere,” she said.
“A friend of mine has had to sell his car because it was using too much petrol – now he has bought a small car. That’s okay for him because he doesn’t have any kids, I’d hate to think what it would be like if he had kids.”
Ms Robertson, who also studies part-time at TAFE, said that the cost of getting a tertiary education was having a big impact on families.
“I know people that are almost 30 and are still trying to pay back their HECS debt.
“If there was more support for students as far as Centrelink and Austudy goes, maybe it would make it easier for people to get better qualifications,” she said.
