Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said her party is focused on “driving down bills” for people across the country as it meets at its think-in in Galway.
The party is holding its think-in at the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill ahead of the new Dáil term.
Ms Bacik said Labour has a “strong record of delivery, a vision for the future, a vision for a social democratic republic”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said: “What we saw from Government in last year’s budget, what we saw again this year, was floundering, failing to deliver for families in any real way.”
“People are crying out for change; that’s why I want to see a left-led government in the next election. I’ve been very clear on that, and Labour has a strong role as a leading progressive voice in Ireland to join with other parties that share our vision and our values.
“The Green Party and the Social Democrats in particular to really try and forge that new Ireland because that’s what people struggling in a housing crisis,” she said.
Ms Bacik said her party has put forward a series of targeted measures and has called for a reduction of back-to-school costs.
“We have been focused on how we can really bring down bills for households through targeted energy credits, through indexation of tax bands and through cutting of childcare costs through a new public childcare scheme,” she said.
Ms Bacik said there is a huge need to reduce energy costs, but she would not say if Labour wants to see the carbon tax increase as planned by the Government next month.
She said the party is “waiting to see” what the Government propose on carbon tax and whether it should be deferred.
“What we believe is that the Government needs to focus far more on reducing costs for people in energy and at the moment, nearly half of our electricity is generated by gas. That is simply not sustainable.
“When I knock on doors of people in A-rated homes with heat pumps, with solar, they aren’t exposed to the same rising energy costs that 500,000 pounds of energy,” Ms Bacik added.