The Cost-of-Living Crisis: How It’s Crushing Ordinary Working Australians, By Mrs. Vera West and James Reed
The cost-of-living crisis in Australia, as highlighted in Malcolm Roberts' opinion piece (see below), is a slow, relentless drain on the lives of ordinary working Australians. It's not a single catastrophic event but a creeping erosion of financial stability, where everyday essentials, milk, eggs, electricity, and even a morning coffee, have become luxuries that many can barely afford. This blog piece explores how this crisis, exacerbated by government policies and economic mismanagement, is suffocating the average Australian worker, stripping away small joys and forcing impossible choices.
For most Australians, the daily routine once included simple pleasures: a coffee on the way to work, a sandwich for lunch, or a pint with friends at the pub. These are no longer affordable indulgences, but calculated decisions. As Roberts notes, a coffee now costs $6, and two coffees a day add up to $4,368 annually, a staggering increase from $1,456 a decade ago. Milk and eggs, staples of any household, have seen similar price hikes. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, food prices rose by 4.4% in 2024 alone, outpacing wage growth, which stagnated at 3.5%. For a worker earning the average full-time salary of $98,000, these increases consume a disproportionate share of income, leaving less for savings or discretionary spending.
The impact is most acute for low- and middle-income earners. A single parent working as a retail assistant or a tradie pulling long hours, cannot absorb these costs without sacrifice. The choice becomes stark: skip the coffee, forgo lunch, or cut back on heating to keep the lights on. These are not abstract hypotheticals but daily realities for millions of Australians.
Critics, including Roberts, point to the Labor government's policies as a key driver of this crisis. Treasurer Jim Chalmers' fiscal strategies, such as increased public spending and tax hikes, have fuelled inflation, which hit 3.8% in mid-2025, according to Reserve Bank of Australia projections. Energy prices, a major contributor, have soared due to what Roberts calls "mad, elusive cheap energy" promises. The transition to renewables, while environmentally insane, has itself even been mismanaged, leading to higher electricity costs. For example, powering a home now often requires choosing between air conditioning and charging an electric vehicle, both essential for modern life but increasingly unaffordable.
Tolls, another sore point, have risen across Sydney and other major cities. Transurban reported a 6.7% increase in toll prices in 2025, adding hundreds of dollars annually to commuters' expenses. For a delivery driver or a nurse commuting across the city, these costs are unavoidable, eating into already stretched budgets. Labor's failure to address infrastructure bottlenecks or provide relief compounds the burden.
Beyond the financial strain, the cost-of-living crisis is reshaping Australian society. The pub, once a cornerstone of community life, is now a "luxury expense." Social isolation is rising as workers cut back on outings to save money. A 2024 survey by the Australian Institute of Family Studies found that 62% of respondents had reduced social activities due to financial pressures. This erosion of community connection takes a psychological toll, with mental health issues on the rise; Beyond Blue reported a 20% increase in calls to its helpline in 2024.
For families, the crisis means parents working longer hours or multiple jobs, leaving less time for children or personal well-being. The "death by a thousand dollars" Roberts describes is not just financial but emotional, as Australians watch their quality of life slip away.
The cost-of-living crisis is more than an economic issue; it's a betrayal of the Australian promise of a fair go. Ordinary workers are being bled dry by a system that prioritises government social control. Pragmatic policy solutions exist, targeted tax relief, energy price stabilisation, or toll road reforms, but require political will. Labor's current trajectory, as Roberts argues, risks further alienating voters who feel abandoned by their government.
In conclusion, the cost-of-living crisis is killing the spirit of working Australians, one small expense at a time. It's time for policies that favour affordability and fairness, restoring the ability to enjoy a coffee, a meal, or a night out without breaking the bank. Until then, the daily grind will continue to grind down the nation's workers.
https://goodsauce.news/labors-cost-of-living-crisis-is-bleeding-aussies-dry/
"Labor's cost-of-living crisis is bleeding Aussies dry
Milk's up. Eggs up. Lights on? Might cost a kidney! Coffee's $6. A sandwich? $50.
It's not one big hit — it's death by a thousand dollars.
Labor's cost-of-living crisis is eating Aussie life, one small joy at a time.
The price of milk is going up, the price of eggs is going up. The cost of freight is going up. Turning the lights on means selling a kidney on the black market. Everything's expensive.
Want an Uber Eats sandwich these days? Well, there's 50 bucks. A quick coffee to warm you up from whatever mini–Ice Age we're shivering in right now – there's 6 bucks. It all adds up.
Now I like coffee, some days 2. $12.00 in coffee to stay alive. That's $4,368 in coffee in a year.
Little things add up. 10 years ago it cost $1,456 a year in coffee, the odd dollar here and there.
That's what this cost of living crisis is built on. It's eating away at the things Australians used to enjoy – one by one.
Even heading down to the pub with your mates for a couple of beers is a luxury expense.
I heard tolls were going up across Sydney – again! Drive across the bridge or have an extra cup of coffee? Turn the lights on or skip lunch? Use the air conditioning? Plug in an electric car to charge?
Are you crazy?
Every Labor tax hike, every bit of kindness to fund Treasurer Jim Chalmers latest thought bubble, every cent squeezed out of you adds up to a personal crisis.
So when we buy our eggs, we buy our milk, we take a detour to avoid a toll or walk past that coffee we can't afford? Remember Labor's greed added those costs. One man – $1.00 at a time.
The Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, with a little help of course from Chris Brown and his mad, elusive cheap energy."
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