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The rising cost of living and raising a family are always front of mind for Vikas Sharma. He says childcare costs and rates are among the main concerns for his household, which consists of him and his wife, Kavita Ogale, and their daughter Pihu, 6. But rising electricity costs are also among the most troubling issues. “We are 100 per cent renewable energy but if you are 100 per cent renewable energy then the energy prices should go down,” he said. “I read recently the price will go up again. I mean how is it working? If we are having renewables we should be paying less.” The ACT government will offer interest-free loans of up to $15,000 to households for rooftop solar panels and battery storage. But Mr Sharma said he was sceptical as to how much it would help with energy costs. “It says $15,000 for the loan of the energy-efficient equipment, but the storage of the batteries and the installation, the loan you have to pay back is still going to be a cost on a monthly basis, because you have to pay back the loan,” he said. READ MORE: Mr Sharma was also disappointed there was nothing in the budget to address childcare costs. Pihu attends after-school care, and he would have welcomed some subsidies for that. “Talking from a family point of view … the ACT has the highest daycare charges in the country,” he said. “It’s a pressure on the family and it needs to be taken care of.” Most of the government’s education spend has been for Gungahlin, with $27.4 million set aside to expand and build public schools. But Mr Sharma said he would welcome more upgrades to schools across Canberra. He lives in Weston Creek. The community-sector worker said he would have welcomed a greater commitment to improving hospital wait times and the introduction of more bus services. “The tram is coming up, but that will take a lot of time – these things put a lot of stress on daily life,” he said. “As well, the hospital and the wait times – I haven’t had the first-hand experience, but a lot of people have spoken about their experience of wait times.” READ MORE:
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The rising cost of living and raising a family are always front of mind for Vikas Sharma.
He says childcare costs and rates are among the main concerns for his household, which consists of him and his wife, Kavita Ogale, and their daughter Pihu, 6.
But rising electricity costs are also among the most troubling issues.
“We are 100 per cent renewable energy but if you are 100 per cent renewable energy then the energy prices should go down,” he said.
The ACT government will offer interest-free loans of up to $15,000 to households for rooftop solar panels and battery storage.
But Mr Sharma said he was sceptical as to how much it would help with energy costs.
“It says $15,000 for the loan of the energy-efficient equipment, but the storage of the batteries and the installation, the loan you have to pay back is still going to be a cost on a monthly basis, because you have to pay back the loan,” he said.
Mr Sharma was also disappointed there was nothing in the budget to address childcare costs. Pihu attends after-school care, and he would have welcomed some subsidies for that.
“Talking from a family point of view … the ACT has the highest daycare charges in the country,” he said.
“It’s a pressure on the family and it needs to be taken care of.”
But Mr Sharma said he would welcome more upgrades to schools across Canberra. He lives in Weston Creek.
The community-sector worker said he would have welcomed a greater commitment to improving hospital wait times and the introduction of more bus services.
“The tram is coming up, but that will take a lot of time – these things put a lot of stress on daily life,” he said.
“As well, the hospital and the wait times – I haven’t had the first-hand experience, but a lot of people have spoken about their experience of wait times.”
