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Economy set to worsen, with higher unemployment and weaker growth on the way, Jim Chalmers reveals

22 October 2026 at 12:30

Treasury is revising all the numbers for the mid-year budget update as economists warn of a difficult six months ahead

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Jim Chalmers has revealed December’s mid-year budget update will project weaker growth and higher unemployment, as economists warn of a difficult six months ahead for the Australian economy.

Two days after a senior Reserve Bank official foreshadowed the potential for another interest rate hike in under two weeks’ time, the treasurer in a speech on Friday morning will say “higher inflation is putting people under pressure, tighter monetary policy is weighing on domestic activity, and we can see that in the softening of the labour market”.