He said this risked prolonging the cost-of-living crisis and that while energy and rental subsidies would provide welcome relief, they were temporary measures and a “cynical attempt to artificially lower inflation”.
“What the Albanese government is doing is treating the symptoms, not the underlying problems,” Mr Birrell said.
“Labor’s bungled energy policy is responsible for soaring energy costs, and picking up a small part of the bill won’t fix the problem.”
Mr Birrell said economists were predicting the budget’s measures would be inflationary, but that the treasurer had gambled on them being wrong.
“The opportunity was there to invest in infrastructure, particularly in the regions, that would drive productivity,” he said.
“The budget should also have tackled the labour market issues and industrial relations barriers that hold back the economy.
“Instead, we have a government trying to buy its way to another term by splashing cash to mask its inability to stop the decline in living standards for working Australians.
“People have gone backwards under this government, and this budget risks worse outcomes for struggling households.”
Mr Birrell said the budget lacked investment in regional Australia, and that only a select few major infrastructure projects would get funded over the next seven years.
“As expected, following the outcomes of Labor’s infrastructure review, the $208 million the Coalition government allocated to the Shepparton Bypass has disappeared from the books, and the lack of any strategic investment pipeline means it won’t be built by a Labor government.
“Again, an unidentified ‘not for publication’ amount sits in the budget for water buybacks, which pose a significant social and economic risk to communities across the Murray-Darling Basin.
“The regional budget statement even attempted to spin the $1 billion investment in biosecurity as a win for agriculture, despite applying a fresh food tax on producers to help pay for dealing with the risk posed by their overseas competitors.”
He said additional funding for key road programs wouldn’t stretch far enough after years of neglect.
Mr Birrell welcomed $1 billion in the budget towards accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence.
“Across the parliament, we all need to do more to tackle the scourge of gender-based violence,” he said.
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