Indi MP Helen Haines wants cost of living pressures addressed in next week's federal budget, citing skyrocketing home loan payments as a particular hardship.
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"There's real pain, as we've seen mortgage repayments go up," the independent politician said.
"Some families tell me they're paying an additional $1000 per month on what they originally signed up for.
"Families who are seeking rental accommodation can't find a rental that's affordable, and energy prices too.
"They're three areas that the government can do something about, I will be looking for that in the budget."
"I want to see federal investment in the infrastructure that allows us to open up the land to put the houses on, across rural and regional Australia we know that we need around $2 billion of investment in the critical enabling infrastructure to build the houses we need for the people who need them." she said.
The federal budget is to be presented to the House of Representatives by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on the evening of Tuesday, May 14.
It follows the Victorian government on Tuesday, May 7, delivering its budget, a document that did not impress Dr Haines.
"It was a budget that I think didn't offer us in regional Victoria very much at all," she said.
"It was very disappointing, we know in rural and regional areas such as ours we need significant investment in our roads infrastructure.
"We need significant investment here on the Border for Albury Wodonga Health, not a penny for that, when we know that what both the Victorian and NSW government have put on the table for this Albury Wodonga Health redevelopment is not even going to get us to the first stage, so very disappointing."
Dr Haines hopes the federal budget will contain funding for a Collaborative Education and Research Centre she wants established at Albury hospital to bolster the health workforce.
"I've been working with Albury Wodonga Health on a bid for the federal government to invest in an area where they can constitutionally ... and that's in the education and research of the workforce, it's critical we have a workforce that deliver the healthcare we need," she said.
"We have a bid into the regional precincts program ... waiting on an announcement around that and announcements around regional investment funds have been way too slow from this federal government."
Dr Haines said a delay in revealing whether Towong Council had obtained funding for its Bellbridge boathouse development was another example of government tardiness with program answers.
