Australian treasurer addresses cost-of-living concerns after One Nation byelection win
Australia's treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledged voter frustration over living costs after One Nation's candidate won decisively in a Western Australian byelection, while the government also pledged more flood aid to Nepal and funding for an Indigenous racism register.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on ABC's 7.30 program that he had reflected deeply on voter concerns after One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen secured 57% of the vote after preferences in the Secret Harbour byelection in Western Australia.
Chalmers acknowledged that inflation, cost of living and real wages had weighed heavily on voters' minds ahead of the poll. He said he understood the frustrations people felt about how the economy was or wasn't working for them, describing this as the central focus behind the government's push to bring down inflation and improve productivity.
The treasurer argued that the main dividing line in Australian politics is shifting away from the traditional split between the centre-left and the far right. Instead, he described it as a contest between a Labor government trying to address people's genuine concerns, and the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation, who he said were simply exploiting those anxieties.
More aid for Nepal
The Australian government announced a further $3m in aid for flood-affected areas in Nepal and Tibet, bringing total pledged funding to $11m. Specialist drone operators from Fire and Rescue New South Wales and the Queensland fire service will travel to the disaster zone in coming days to assist search and rescue efforts. A RAAF aircraft carrying humanitarian aid had already arrived in the region. Nepali authorities reported 1,204 confirmed deaths and 4,216 people missing, including 583 foreigners, as of Thursday, while 38 Australians remain unaccounted for.
Funding for racism register
The government also announced up to $2m in funding for an online register tracking racism and discrimination against Indigenous Australians, ahead of the final report from a parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said the inquiry had heard distressing accounts of harm experienced by Indigenous people, and that the funding would support the Call It Out platform's work in gathering data to inform anti-racism efforts.
