Central West candidates discuss how their parties would address cost of living crisis

Costs are rising across the board and residents in the electorates of Bathurst, Dubbo and Orange want to know what their potential political representatives are going to do to ease the pressure.

Our journalists spoke to candidates across the electorates to find out what their parties would do to address the crisis.

According to Nationals members Paul Toole and Dugald Saunders, the incumbents for the seats of Bathurst and Dubbo respectively, the party is investing $7.2 billion to help reduce pressure on household budgets, with more than 70 different measures available.

They include:

When it comes to grocery bills, Mr Saunders said a re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals government would appoint a new supply chain commission to work closely with industry to unblock supply chains across the state and help drive down prices.

"The Commissioner will immediately move to establish a freight and logistics taskforce to look at innovative ways to drive down transport costs for goods to get the best deal for families across NSW," he said.

Regarding energy bills specifically, Mr Toole said a re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will implement the Energy Bill Saver program.

"Every Bill Saver is a $250 payment to households that compare their current energy deal," he said.

"A new energy bill comparison service will be provided through Service NSW to enable people to compare bills and get a better deal. Households will get the $250 payment for searching for a better deal, even if they don't switch."

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The Labor Party has its own list of promises when it comes to addressing the rising cost of living.

Bathurst candidate Cameron Shaw said his priority will be those people who are struggling, saying he has experienced the cost of living crisis first-hand.

"I've seen this first-hand as I am one of many residents of the Bathurst electorate who is struggling. I support my family on $850 a week; once you pay rent and bills, there is not much left and, as your MP, I will take those experiences with me when I represent my community," he said.

Mr Shaw said Labor's plan includes:

Labor has also promised to "wipe money directly off energy bills".

"A NSW Labor government will wipe money directly off energy bills for families and small businesses doing it tough," Labor's candidate for Dubbo, Josh Black, said.

"Our plan will mean 1.6 million NSW families will save $250 on their energy bills and 320,000 small businesses will save $315."

Mr Black also said Labor would create the NSW Energy Security Corporation to drive investment in community batteries to maximise the benefits of rooftop solar, whilst also driving down prices with partnerships in large scale renewables.

Kay Nankervis is one of the Greens candidates in the Central West, running for the seat of Bathurst.

She said the Greens would support freezing rents and increasing pay for certain professions.

"We would use our balance of power to freeze rents across the state while there is such a shortage of affordable housing in the Central West," she said.

"We are calling for an end to the freeze on public sector wages - where many regional people work - and we are demanding an immediate 15 per cent pay rise for frontline workers such as teachers, nurses, midwives and paramedics."

Regarding energy bills, she said the Greens are against privatisation and would be looking to buy back power supply.

"Privatisation of power across the state (and the country) has done nothing to create efficiencies or keep prices down," she said.

"We want to buy back power supply in NSW so that users - the public - are put first ahead of profits and so we can transition all our power supplies to cleaner, cheaper, reliable renewables as soon as possible."

When it comes to addressing the cost of living crisis, Dubbo electorate Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Kate Richardson said it is a complex issue.

"The issue is complex because the cost of living crisis is impacting food, fuel, rentals, housing, and energy, which means the government needs to pull multiple levers to ease the burden. A lot of those levers need to be pulled on a federal level," she said.

"Fuel is a huge issue in Dubbo. The government should reintroduce the fuel subsidy. We have such great distances to travel in this electorate and our farmers need some relief too."

To address rising energy costs, Ms Richardson said a reservation policy is needed.

"We sell our gas overseas and then buy it back off them at increased prices. This is one way we can reduce household bills," she said.

The party has just one candidate running in the Central West, Burchell Wilson, who is contesting the seat of Bathurst.

Mr Wilson, who is an economist, said lowering taxes is the one of the most direct means available to reduce cost of living pressures.

"The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to reducing the tax burden on households and the only party serious about cutting government expenditure in order to fund that relief for people in NSW," he said.

"The Liberal Democrats will abolish stamp duty which will make entry into homeownership more achievable, facilitate labour market mobility and eliminate a grossly inefficient tax that economists have slated for abolition for decades."

With regard to renewable energy, Mr Wilson said the Liberal Democrats would be looking to end subsidies.

"Renewable energy mandates at both the state and federal level are making electricity more expensive and damaging manufacturing in the Bathurst region and the wider state," he said.

"The Liberal Democrats will end subsidies for unreliable energy sources and let private energy providers compete. Cheap energy reduces more than just your electricity bill, it reduces costs across the whole supply chain making everything you buy less expensive."

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