Roger Cook says, “we know people are hurting”, so surely he also knows they don’t need cost-of-living support in 2026 – they need it now.
Roger Cook says, “we know people are hurting”, so surely he also knows they don’t need cost-of-living support in 2026 – they need it now.
Opinion
February 13, 2025 — 2.00am
Health has taken centre stage in the WA election campaign, but cost of living remains voters’ number one issue, and the premier’s headline commitment is to slash train and bus fares — but it’s Labor taking voters for a ride.
The party has loudly lauded its suburban flat fare commitment; “the $2.80 fare with an autoload SmartRider will save commuters up to $625 a year”, every MP is copying and pasting into snappy social media posts.
But what they fail to include is that year doesn’t start until 2026.
“Everything’s just getting more expensive isn’t it?” mother of two, and presumed party-friendly, Taryn Kendall said alongside Premier Roger Cook at a recent cost-of-living announcement.
We know. And halving public transport fares is a great commitment. So why are we waiting until next year for that hip-pocket relief to take effect?
Cook claimed if the “floodgates were thrown open” it would put the public transport system under pressure. But when asked what measures would be put in place to manage those expected pressures, he only listed existing infrastructure.
“You’ve seen significant growth in our bus services, an extra 10 million kilometres in the last 12 months alone, we have, of course, also just recently opened the Morley-Ellenbrook line,” Cook said.
True. So, if they are already in place, why can’t cheaper fares start now?
The Nationals or Liberals refuse to say if they support slashing fares. The Greens want to use a possible balance of power in the upper house next term to leverage free public transport.
It’s not the only “cost of living-busting” commitment made by Labor this election, and not the only one with a delayed starting gun; the same applies for their pledge to halve regional transport fares on TransWA services.
And again, Taryn stood with the premier and treasurer when they announced an extension of student assistance payments — $150 for each primary school student and $250 for secondary students to help with education costs.
“We think making it an election commitment is a much clearer choice, the fact that WA Labor will roll out this payment (in term 2), and the Liberal and National parties criticise it and don’t support it,” Treasurer Rita Saffioti said to fend off questions of vote-buying.
Inflation is coming down, the premier is pleading for a rate cut and the Commonwealth claims it’s executing its “soft landing”. By state and federal Labor’s own hopes, economic conditions will have improved by the time these election commitments kick in.
Former Julia Gillard staffer Sean Kelly wrote there was a belief that governments were re-elected not on what they’ve done but on what they’re going to do.
WA Labor is trying to do both — portray itself as the experienced, steady hand at the wheel, while promising to deliver support for the future.
But as Roger Cook says, “we know people are hurting”, so surely he also knows they don’t need cost-of-living support in 2026 – they need it now.
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Connor McGoverne is a reporter for 9 News Perth who specialises in state politics.
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