Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Lindsay team and I have been making thousands of calls—from Luddenham to Londonderry, from Emu Heights to Colyton—about issues that matter most. The No. 1 issue for people in my community is the cost of living. The second is energy costs, and the third is roads and infrastructure. The cost-of-living crisis impacting Western Sydney is immense. I'm so worried for low- and middle-income families, who are set to swap from low fixed mortgages to higher variable rates. Locals are facing the possibility of losing their family home. Our young people, families and seniors who rent are being slammed with higher rents due to interest rates.

This summer has been hot. A few years ago, Penrith was the hottest place on the planet. Residents need air conditioning to cool down, or they will face health impacts. Rising costs of energy are taking a toll on families struggling to sleep through the warm nights and seniors who are at home during the day in sweltering heat.

We face $5 billion of cuts from the Albanese Labor government for Western Sydney infrastructure. Locals are sick of being stuck in jams on Mulgoa Road, yet the government cut $200 million for Mulgoa Road, impacting so many local communities. Rising costs and infrastructure cuts will be the legacy of the Albanese Labor government in Western Sydney.