1 hour ago
3
Despite hearing the cost-of-living measures in the budget targeted at people like him, Tony Tarraf can’t help being disappointed.
The father of three from Pennant Hills in the city’s north-west owns and runs a construction company. He said that while he would benefit from the Minns government’s changes to toll caps and vehicle registrations, they were just “sweeteners”.
“They aren’t life-changing. Most people would be happy with that, but it won’t make a huge difference, and it won’t make you a millionaire.”
He welcomed road changes and the announcements of new schools in suburbs around him – “good moves” – but lamented the lack of ambition in the budget.
In particular, Tarraf said he wanted to see more from the government on housing and more support for small businesses, which he said were living through an “ignored crisis”.
“I would have thought there’d be something to keep us going in this economy,” he said. “We’ve all been taking a hit, and we’re currently feeling like we’ve been kicked to the side.
“Everyone is struggling, across almost every industry. There are so many small businesses just hanging on, and there isn’t much help going around.”
Tarraf said it was a “shame” the government didn’t announce any housing measures, specifically calling for lifting of “red tape” around construction to make it easier for developers to build.
“It’s a case of the government ignoring the obvious,” he said.
“For a government to overlook it says one of two things. Either they don’t care about housing supply, or they think housing supply is fine. Either way, this is a wrong move and I don’t think many people will be happy with that.”
Major funding for education and childcare in this year’s budget was targeted at outer suburbs, with middle-ring localities faring less well.
Panania resident Victoria Ruz said finding a childcare spot in her area was “cutthroat”, and she felt lucky to have secured one for her three-year-old son, Mateo.
She welcomed an extension of a fee relief trial for daycare programs, but her suburb remained ineligible for maximum funding. The only LGA in Sydney at the eligible level of disadvantage is Fairfield.
Although her nine-year-old daughter Gabby is enrolled in a public primary school, Ruz plans to move her into the Catholic system for high school, partly to avoid the local schools, which “don’t have as strong a reputation”. Still, she welcomed the $16.3 million upgrade to Sir Joseph Banks High School in Revesby, which she hoped would lead to improvements more broadly.
And while energy bills were a pinch for her young family, solar power remained “a nice to have, not a need to have”, with the government’s zero-interest energy loans off the table: “I think we’re in enough debt as it is.”
Ruz said the budget would “definitely” be a factor as she decided her vote ahead of the March 2027 state election, depending on how successfully the planned measures were implemented.
“I don’t think there’s a party that will ever align 100 per cent with everyone,” she said, but planned to prioritise a party “who’s going to be in my corner”.
She said she was grateful for the focus on day-to-day cost of living: “It has a big impact on me, with a young working family, a mortgage. I’m not alone in that bucket, and it’s nice to hear that we’re being thought of in the budget.”
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
