Scott Morrison signals budget measures to counter soaring petrol prices and cost of living

Scott Morrison on Monday said high fuel prices, which have hit $2.20 in some parts of Australia, ‘don’t just hit the economy and hit family budgets when they fill up, but they have a knock-on effect across the economy’. Photograph: Paul Braven/AAP

Scott Morrison has signalled further measures to counter the rising cost of living, potentially including temporary petrol excise cuts, as the Coalition mulls federal implications from the Liberal loss in South Australia.

The prime minister travelled to Brisbane on Monday campaigning on the commonwealth’s $667m investment in the south-east Queensland city deal, primarily for transport projects, ahead of the federal budget on 29 March.