The inland rail project, linking Wagga to ports in Brisbane and Melbourne, was vital for the future of the city according to mayor Greg Conkey.

“This has been a long time coming,” Cr Conkey said.

“We’re spending a whole heap of money out at the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics (RIFL) Hub, which will give us a direct connection to the Port of Brisbane (and)  the markets of the northern hemisphere.”

Committee 4 Wagga (C4W) chief executive Chris Fitzpatrick said he was looking forward to talk becoming reality on the inland rail line.

“This has been talked about for 20 years and I hope we see enough funding to turn it into reality so we can get trains on tracks,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“This obviously has a significant bearing on the success of the RIFL hub and add to the viability of that project and bring it forward.”

US rail giant Genesee and Wyoming signed a framework agreement with Wagga City Council in April.

Pensioners are also set to get a little help with the power bill in the form of a one-off bonus flagged by Treasurer Scott Morrison.

“That's specifically because of increasing electricity prices,” Mr Morrison told the Nine Network on Sunday.

He said the $75 payment for singles and $125 for couples, to be paid before June 30, was for aged pensioners, disability support pensioners and single parent payments.

Veterans’ welfare reform was another key item for the budget, with $350 million announced to help defence force veterans battling mental health conditions.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) economics professor John Hicks believed political and economic factors appeared to play a role in the budget.

“Broadly, the national economy appears to be travelling reasonably well, although expectations of sustainable steady growth are fragile,” he said.

“The Reserve Bank of Australia expects wages, household spending and business investment to remain weak. There is increasing political pressure for the government to be seen to deliver outcomes of consequence for the electorate.”

However, CSU politics lecturer Troy Whitford warned the budget wasn’t “Christmas night”, but was instead about organising the nation’s finances.