Labor's second federal budget prioritised cost-of-living relief over nation-building infrastructure spending, but the government's pumped-up clean energy commitment offers opportunities for the Hunter.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced a range of measures that he said would "prioritise those most in need", including increasing JobSeeker by $40 a fortnight, outlaying $3 billion in energy bill relief, raising the age cut-off for single parent unemployment benefits from eight to 14, increasing aged care workers' wages by 15 per cent, bumping up Commonwealth rent assistance by 15 per cent and offering $3.5 billion in bulk-billing incentives for doctors.
