Portfolio — 10 May 2026

Treasurer Jim Chalmers used three pre-Budget media releases on 10 May to lock in the government's central Budget message: a $2 billion small-scale housing infrastructure fund targeting 65,000 new homes, lifting total housing investment to $47 billion. Chalmers confirmed the fuel excise rebate expires at the end of June and will not be extended — a clear signal that cost-of-living relief is being reoriented toward housing supply rather than fuel subsidies.

Three separate statements carried an identical headline figure and framing, pointing to a deliberate and coordinated communications push ahead of Budget night. The Treasury explicitly named Housing Minister Clare O'Neil, signalling a joint ownership of the housing supply agenda across the two portfolios.