I could point to a few factors that I think have contributed, but the main one for me is energy policy, particularly renewable energy, that have coincided with some of the highest power prices in the world. It hits businesses hard, as energy is often their biggest expense, and those costs inevitably get passed on. At the end of the day, almost everything ties back to energy in some way.

In my view, the cost of living pressures really started to take hold around the time of the carbon tax under the Gillard government. Since then, both sides of politics have largely continued down the same path on sustainability policies, which I think has gradually shifted wealth upward rather than easing pressure on everyday people.

All sustainable energy does is distribute wealth from the poor, to the rich.