The cost of living, if you haven't already noticed, is one of the biggest problems we're facing right now. 

Inflation is up, and so too are interest rates, rents are on the rise, then there are energy bills, fuel, and 700,000 Australian children living in poverty. 

We almost don't need to state the problem - and those making submissions to the Senate Inquiry into the Cost of Living are some of our nation's most influential thought leaders. 

There are actually 126 submissions. Many of them centered on whether more or better-targeted government spending would help ease the cost of living pressures or just cause more inflation.

Then there's the recurrent call for more social housing to reduce housing costs for everyone but without any clear ideas on where that money might come from. 

The Tax Institute made an interesting observation that the biggest increase in inflationary costs in Australia has been in holidaying costs - something which might be driving down tourism in our region.

They say that, by and large, targeted tax concessions, particularly around bracket creep rather than increases, along with an improvement in skill development to reduce production costs, are ways to make everyone's financial situation a little better. 

The right-leaning Institute of Public Affairs says its "research has demonstrated that government policy is compounding the cost of living crisis in the following:  

• Net zero is making energy unaffordable.  
• Rapidly increasing immigration will cause acute housing supply shortages.  
• Rising government spending is exacerbating inflation and the cost of housing.  
• Australia's worker shortage crisis compounds cost of living pressures.

The National Australia Bank used their submission to explain all the good work they felt they were doing for the community. The Asthma Foundation, Mission Australia, Community Gardens Australia, and the Minerals Council of Australia all put in their two cents worth. 

But there was a particular submission that really was quite unique. 

Image: Australian Deer Association. 

It says that if people are struggling with the cost of groceries, they should go and shoot deer. 

"A sambar deer can provide approximately 50kg of Venison, enough for 500 servings," the submission from the Australian Deer Association to the Senate Inquiry says. 

We decided to call Sean Kilkenny from the Deer Association. He assured us that there are deers in our region, and they have been making their way up from around Bathurst. Deer shooting hasn't really taken off here, but apparently wild dogs love them - because their meat is lean and tasty, just like a Kangaroo. 

The deer hidden in the thickets of the Western Plains are sambar deer originally from Europe. 

"The ability to harvest a resource like wild deer is something we should be looking at. It's largely under-utilized, and there are many opportunities for it to grow," he said. "This is an outdoor pursuit that could lead people to have a better quality of life." 

But it time it is consuming to hunt a deer with all that stalking and searching. 

"It's not unheard of for people to go away hunting for a weekend and come away with quite a lot of deer." 

Which he says means hundreds upon hundreds of meals - more or less, for free.