'Tight Ship': Public Told to Expect Scant Budget Help

Australians have been told to expect little extra help with soaring living costs as the treasurer signals a tightening of the budget as he tries to rein in persistent inflation. The mid-year budget update, to be released in December, would include more savings as the government faced billions of dollars in higher debt repayments due to rising borrowing costs, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said. While Labor was yet to finalise the fiscal blueprint, he hosed down expectations of cost-of-living help for households.