What will I do with $100? West Aussies ponder question after State Budget cash splash

“What will I do with $100?”

That’s the question millions of West Australians will be asking themselves in the coming weeks after the Cook Government revealed it was giving $100 to every driver’s licence holder in the State.

Marketed as a cost of living relief measure to spend on fuel to offset the result of higher prices at the bowser, the payment can actually be spent anywhere - and on anything - leaving each driver to make up their own mind as to how they spend the money.

For Claire Fraser, the money was not tipped to go far.

Ms Fraser lives with her husband and three kids, aged three, six and nine in their Baldivis home.

Having cut back on spending because of rising costs, she agreed some money was better than nothing but said $100 would barely fill her car’s tank once.

“It doesn’t go far enough, my tank of fuel is $100 and sometimes that’ll get me across a week and a half, really (with two of us) that’s just three weeks worth of fuel support,” she said.

“As much as it’s nice, I think it could have been better thought out.”

Those in Perth’s CBD reacted with a mix of excitement and scepticism at the announcement.

For some such as Selina Sibosado, the money will be spent as intended on fuel.

“I’m quite involved in my church, driving people to and from places for the minister so I am very grateful for that,” she said.

“Any help always helps, I’m grateful they are thinking of us.”

Marra Thorne agreed, saying the funds would go towards a full tank of her new car.

“I just bought a new car, so it will be a tank of fuel for me,” she said.

“I am thankful that they are offering this sort of thing.”

Not all were as convinced as to how far it would go however, with higher fuel prices meaning some drivers were routinely spending that much on one tank alone.

Marg Sloane said she wasn’t convinced the payments would make a dent.

“Well I’m not too sure if $100 will buy much fuel these days,” she said.

“It will go to other things, expenses, stuff like that.”

Some said they’d take the money and use it on essentials.

Jake Trindell said he would use the money but did ponder the impacts of the cash handout.

“I have a fuel voucher for work so I’ll definitely be spending mine on something else,” he said.

“Not necessarily worried about direct inflation from everyone being $100 richer but we’ll end up paying for it one way or another.

“We just have to think about that sort of thing before we go claiming free money.”

Meanwhile Olivia Harris said she’d use the extra funds for bills.

“I definitely won’t be spending it on fuel that’s for sure,” she said.

“I factor fuel into my weekly expenses but an additional $100 will be going to things like my car repayments or something.”

Others were caught off guard by the cash splash.

“Oh I had no clue about this, how were we supposed to find out about this,” Katrina Malecdan said.

“I’m going to spend it on essentials probably, I’ve been trying to not drive much recently so I don’t really need the money for fuel.”

But some were just thankful to have some extra cash.

“I say good bloody on ya (Treasurer Rita Saffioti),” James O’Neil said.

“It’s a good thing, money is money.”

Advocacy groups had been calling for targeted cost of living relief to help those most in need.

The blanket $100 did not impress WA Council of Social Service chief executive Louise Giolitto, who called for more targeted relief to help those most in need.

“We are calling on this Government to uplift the food and emergency relief providers by $20 million, it’s not a great deal of money, and we didn’t see that in today’s budget,” she said.

“We did see $100 going to every single person who holds a West Australian licence, that could have inflationary pressures and it’s not going to those who are most in need.”

Ms Giolitto said the move would some more than others.

“A single parent with three children, that person is going to get $100, another household with two parents is going to get $200 that has two incomes coming into the household,” she said.

“It’s not fair, and it’s not targeted.”