Today
I met with Chris Meier, who is one of many Tasmanians struggling with
intensifying cost-of-living pressures under the Rockliff Liberal Government.
Chris
is staying in a caravan on a friend’s property which is mould-ridden and covered
in a tarpaulin to stop any leaks.
He
cannot afford rent, food, power and medical expenses amidst rising
cost-of-living pressures.
He
is unable to work because of spinal injuries he picked up in his younger years
working as a scaffolder.
He
does not spend money on luxuries and drives no further than six kilometres
every few days to get food for his beloved dog Klaus.
If
he has to drive to Hobart for a hospital appointment he will try to use public
transport to avoid petrol and parking expenses.
He
gets veggie boxes when he can afford it through his local Neighbourhood Centre,
but normally lives off porridge and noodles.
Chris
is thankful to have shelter, but with a lack of affordable housing options and
skyrocketing cost-of-living, he is at breaking point.
After
ten years of a Liberal Government, Tasmania is in a health, housing and
cost-of-living crisis, and people like Chris are falling through the cracks.
Jeremy
Rockliff’s bad decisions – like voting down a cap on power prices and failing
to regulate short-stay accommodation – are making life harder for Tasmanians.
If Jeremy Rockliff was going to make a difference for Tasmanians like Chris, he would have done so by now.
Sarah Lovell MLC
Labor Member for Rumney
Shadow Minister for Community Services
