Grocery and rent relief missed in lacking federal budget: Wagga punters

On May 14, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, unveiled the 2024-25 budget with the number one priority to implement measures to help Australians manage living expenses.

Those measures include energy bill rebates of $300 per household and $325 rebates for one million small businesses, tax relief for all taxpayers and a 10 per cent increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance payments.

It is next to nothing for many residents who will see no relief at the hands of those measures, including Wagga university students Hannah Williams and Grace Hoey.

The 18-year-olds live on campus and will be excluded from the energy bill rebates, which they said don't even cover a week's worth of groceries and rent.

They will also miss out on tax cut benefits and rental assistance, which they say should have been prioritised in the budget.

Miss Hoey said her biggest expenses come from groceries and rent - neither of which will see much in terms of relief - and even relying on her farming family to provide her with meat, she on average spends $50 a week on groceries.

Miss Williams, however, spends about $100 a week on groceries, and a further $240 on uni rent, which is already more than the energy bill household rebate - in which they won't get.

It doesn't include fuel or university expanses and leaves little to nothing for gym and sports memberships, social outings and the purchase of clothes and other necessities like medical expenses.

Miss Williams said rental expenses is the biggest challenge she is facing.

"University rent went up $20 a week from last year for the exact same accommodation," she said.

"That's where a lot of my money goes."

Opting for cheaper brands as opposed to "name brand" items and shopping around is something Miss Williams and Miss Hoey also rely on in a bid to cut costs at the supermarket.

Mr Chalmers said the biggest cost of living relief will come from the tax cuts.

"Our new tax cuts for middle Australia are the biggest part of the cost of living relief in this budget," he said.

"From July 1, all 13.6 million taxpayers will get a tax cut.

"And for 84 per cent of taxpayers, and 90 per cent of women, a bigger tax cut than they would have under the previous government.

"This is about rewarding the hard work of our nurses and teachers, truckies and tradies.

"And the 2.9 million people earning $45,000 or less, who would have received nothing.

"The average benefit is $1,888 a year, that's $36 a week.

"Our tax cuts are better for families, communities, women, and young people, and better for business and the economy."

For 73-year-old Wagga resident Mary Kippins, those tax cuts just don't cut it.

"The tax cuts mean nothing to pensioners- there's some relief there for pensioners, but it's hard to know at this stage if it will actually help at all," she said.