9 things government can do to reduce your living costs

Here's a short list.

1. Reduce Immigration Immediately

Australia has apparently taken in 630,000 new immigrants this year - that's eight regional Toowoombas.

In a population of 26 million, this puts too much pressure on infrastructure and is substantially responsible for the current housing crisis.

While immigration could help with various skills shortages, there is no evidence that is what the current surge in migration is actually doing.

And anyway, a skill shortage is a signal that either the education and training system needs to adapt, or the economy is exhausting its ability to fulfil all wishes with current resources.

2. Produce Budget Surpluses Going Forward, Not Just This Year

The government is less efficient at spending money than the private sector, partly because large bureaucracies, whether public or private, are inefficient, and partly because when it's not your money, you tend to be less careful.

Producing surpluses, without increasing taxation, means a decrease in the size of government and an increase in productivity.

Surpluses would mean they would need to control rapidly increasing costs in health, aged care, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). That should be relatively simple.

The NDIS should have always been means-tested, and restricted in what it was available for.

Aged care is a centrally micro-managed mess where most of the problems could be fixed by the government stepping away, and also requiring better-off retirees to meet more of their own costs.