Arabic version: سكان المناطق الإقليمية في أستراليا الغربية يواجهون ضغوطاً متزايدة في تكاليف المعيشة

According to ABC News, residents across regional Western Australia are weighing higher living costs as the Reserve Bank is expected to raise interest rates for the fifth time this year when it meets later on Tuesday.

In Geraldton, 420 kilometres north of Perth, 27-year-old Liam Bristow said his mortgage had risen by $90 a fortnight since he bought a house six months ago. He said the pressure had led him to look for a housemate and cut spending on activities including four-wheel driving and working on his car. Mr Bristow said he was living pay cheque to pay cheque and had not been able to save since purchasing the home.

Other Geraldton residents described different pressures. Roy Mckay, who is homeless and relies on a $600 fortnightly Centrelink payment, said rising grocery and petrol costs made survival difficult. Laura and Gavin Anderson, who hope to move to Perth by the end of next year, said higher rates could lower property prices and improve their position as prospective buyers. However, they said they had stopped eating out and reduced coffee outings to once a week.

In the Pilbara, residents said higher prices compounded the strain. Connie Curtis, who moved with her family to Wickham from Sydney two years ago, said the household had already cut back by cooking at home and cutting its own hair. Karratha retail worker Annie Duffy said another rate rise was “scary” for mortgage holders and described the cost difference from Tasmania as “astronomical”.

In Broome, ranger Halimah Barnes said she was living with her parents while trying to save, as she could not afford to rent a house alone. Further south in Narrikup, business owners Hayley and Dale Wyland said they were not paying themselves a wage and felt home ownership and retirement were moving further out of reach.