Cost of Living and Energy Prices

What it is

Household cost pressure (mortgages/rates, fuel, power bills, groceries) plus state debt/taxes that underpin them. Labor's election-year response: $2.5bn cost-of-living package (20% car-rego discount, six months half-price public transport, school-uniform/glasses/breakfast funding), VDO cut and energy rebates (¹(;² ).

Evidence

Cost of living is the single most salient issue: 68% put it in their top three and it was #1 for 47% of Labor defectors (³); DemosAU found 31% named it the biggest issue facing Victoria (⁴). Critically for Labor, issue *ownership* has flipped: Coalition 23.9% vs Labor 18.8% vs One Nation 15.7% as best party (³). Resolve: only 19% think Victoria's outlook will improve vs 44% worse; debt concern 72% in Vic (vs 67% NSW, 63% Qld) (⁵). Debt is severe: net debt toward $199.3bn by 2030, interest $11.8bn/yr; bond rate hit 6% (¹(;⁶ ).

Where it bites

Bites hardest in outer-suburban mortgage belts (Melton, Sydenham, Pakenham, Bass, Hastings, Berwick, Croydon, Evelyn) and regional/primary-production areas facing the emergency-services levy and fuel costs (⁷).

Who owns it

Coalition is the polling leader on cost of living; One Nation runs its whole pitch on "living costs" (⁸). Labor damaged, including by analysis that its rebates favour high earners (top 20% got >2x the benefit) (⁹).