Australia budget to dole out energy bill relief as general election looms


FILE PHOTO: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a press conference at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, August 16, 2024. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Sunday that a federal budget this week would include an A$1.8 billion extension to a scheme to reduce energy bills, ahead of what is expected to be a closely-fought general election due by May.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left Labor government has already handed out A$3.5 billion in energy bill relief in a bid to tackle inflation, as it grapples with rising living costs in the nation of around 27 million.

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