“Mortgage payments, electricity bills, etc., that’s really crushing people,” said one Sydney business owner.
“I think it’s time to pay attention to our survival,” Vivienne Kong, owner of Sydney’s coffee and ice cream shop, told the Epoch Times.
“Rent is very high, electricity bills are high, living costs have skyrocketed. It’s been three to four times higher than 10 years ago, but my income hasn’t doubled.
“Look around. Many shops are closed and many spaces are sitting in the sky.”
Kong’s Shop is located in Epping, a northern Sydney suburb that is home to a large population of Chinese ancestors.
In recent federal elections, voters with large populations of China and Australia have consistently swayed towards the Labour Party on the centre left.
In Bennolon, adjacent to the Kong area, workers’ candidate Jerome Laxar won a seat on a 7.9% swing from two-party swings from Chinese liberal candidate Scott Yun.
Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will speak to the media at the front door along with MP Jerome Laxar (R) and NSW Premier Chris Mins (L) in Sydney, Australia on February 4, 2023, during the month’s New Year celebration at Eastwood Plaza. AAP Image/Bianca de Marchi
A similar trend was reflected across the country, benefiting from the labor from swings at Menzies, Aston and Chisholm in Melbourne. Sydney lead and bank. Morton of Brisbane. Perth tanny. And then Adelaide started.
Inflation, labor costs: business owner
Kong says that because so many shops are closed, suppliers are reluctant to provide credit or time to pay for goods or services after delivery.
“So it’s even tougher for us. We have to pay every order for advance payment. Small businesses often live and die based on available cash reserves.
“If governments can provide small businesses with loans and assistance, such as working capital aid, it would make a huge difference.”
Henry Zao, a permanent resident and food and beverage business owner, reflects Kong’s concerns about operating costs.
“Prices have risen significantly, and the costs of services in various sectors have risen,” he told the Epoch Times.
“In our industry, labor costs are rising too. As prices rise, wages need to rise too. So for us, labor costs have become even higher.”
Energy Consumers Australia says electricity costs are another issue, with companies using around 20,000 kWh per year seeing electricity prices rise by 8%.
On February 25th, 2025, an aerial view of Bangara Solar Farm in Port Augusta, South Australia. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images
Medicare, housing: senior immigrants
Now, half-retired in his senior year, Huang Ming is paying more attention to healthcare.
“For example, you’ll receive a fee for a GP (GP) – you’ve made a promise, but nothing has come to fruition. You still have to pay $20 per consultation,” he told the Epoch Times.
In February, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced an additional $8.5 billion for the Universal Healthcare Cover Medicare, which aims to make nine of the 10 GP visits free by 2030.
In 2023, the Labor Government had pledged $5.7 billion in bulk buildings to encourage more patient visits.
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The illustration in this photo shows an Australian Medicare card featuring prescription drugs in Sydney, Australia on March 25th, 2025. Lisa Marie Williams/Getty Images
Another thing that Huang cares about is housing. I’ll restock my house and buy it.
“We don’t even expect prices to go down, but can the government at least control the rate of price increases? Especially in places like Burwood, where prices have risen significantly,” he said.
As of April, the median home price for Burwood, one of New South Wales’ largest Chinese communities, was around $3.21 million (US$2.07 million), marking a 12.6% increase over the past 12 months.
“These are really just the basics of people’s livelihoods, right?” the fan said.
Economic management concerns: salon owners
Wendy Xu, owner of a beauty salon in Hurstville, Sydney, is concerned about a recession.
“Our beauty business is cutting spending as people are slowing so much as they face high costs and costs. We have fewer customers now,” she said.
“Mortgage payments, electricity bills, etc. It’s really crushing people. Especially when interest rates rose after the waves last year and the previous year, it was too much for people to handle.”
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) began a series of interest rate hikes in May 2022, in response to historically low interest rates during the pandemic and for many years.
The increase in RBA peaked at a 4.35% peak in November 2023. This is the highest level since December 2011.
In response to ease inflationary pressures, the RBA recently reduced its cash rate to 3.85%, marking its second cut in 2025.
Despite these cuts, mortgage rates remained rising compared to pre-2022 levels, continuing to put financial pressure on borrowers.
Xu hopes the government can step up.
“After the pandemic, each of us is under a lot of physical and financial pressure, and now, along with our health, we need to pay more attention to self-care,” she said.
“If people feel sick, they still have to buy health supplements… It’s not just the economic pressure of everyday life, but also the pressure to keep us healthy.”
Concerns for elderly people moving to retired villages
Solomon Chang, a permanent resident and elderly care worker with Certificate IV for aging support, asked the government to address issues related to retirement villages.
“Every retired village in Australia is just an opportunity for real estate investment companies to make money,” he told The Epoch Times.
Chang noticed the difference between purchasing village units and ownership of a regular home.
He explained that purchasing units in a retirement village can often result in financial losses upon leaving. For example, a $1,000,000 unit can only be returned from $650,000 to $700,000 after 5-10 years, mainly due to exit fees and depreciation.
“They don’t clearly explain these exit conditions, especially when selling them to seniors. Many seniors feel that they are being scamned because the services they are offered are very limited.
Chang asked for an overhaul of the price structure, particularly to address management fees.
“If the government stepped in a bit, it could make a big difference by organizing volunteers to clean up the surroundings and providing financial subsidies to improve public entertainment areas,” he said.
Australia and China relations
Aside from the lives below, there are concerns about the relationship between the new government and Beijing.
Lin Bin, a Hong Kong-born political analyst who received his PhD in Political Science from NSW University, said:
“A very simple example is that many Chinese immigrants came to Australia because they didn’t want to live under the authoritarian rules of the CCP. They want to come here and live a life of freedom and democracy.”
The protesters hold a placard requesting the release of Australian author Jan Hengjun in Canberra, Australia on March 20, 2024. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images
As a former candidate for Hong Kong Parliament, Lin also wants to see more changes so Hong Kongers can stay.
In November 2021, in response to Beijing’s “dramatic” national security law against Hong Kong, the former Morrison government announced a new visa route for Hong Kong citizens.
“I hope that Australia’s labour government is standing stronger in protecting Australia’s national interests and not too soft to deal with the CCP,” Lynn said.
“Many of us want Australia to remain an independent, free and democratic country. We hope that the Australian government will provide peace of mind to the Australians in China and resist the invasion of CCP.”
