Australia's Treasurer Blames Rising Prices on Fuel Costs and End of Energy Rebates
Listen to the story
Jim Chalmers is the treasurer of Australia. He looks after money for the government. He spoke about prices going up in the country.
Chalmers said two things caused the problem. First, fuel costs went up. Fuel is what cars and trucks use. Second, the government stopped giving people money for energy bills. This extra money was called a rebate.
A rebate is money the government gives back to people. For some time, the government paid part of people's energy bills. Now that help has ended. This means people pay more for power.
When prices go up across a country, we call this inflation. Chalmers said fuel costs and the end of the rebate both pushed inflation higher.
In other news, a politician named Mehreen Faruqi spoke about a ballot. A ballot is a vote, often for choosing a leader. Faruqi is a senator from the Greens party. She said she felt disappointed about the result.
The Greens are a political party in Australia. They often talk about protecting nature. Faruqi did not explain why she was disappointed.
These stories were part of a live news update about Australian politics. Live updates share small pieces of news through the day.
Vocabulary15 words
- treasurer
- the government person in charge of money
- fuel
- liquid used to make cars and machines run
- rebate
- money given back to help pay a bill
- inflation
- when prices go up over time
- ballot
- a vote to choose someone or something
- senator
- a person elected to make laws in parliament
- party
- a group of people with the same political ideas
- government
- the group of people who run a country
- energy
- power used for electricity and heat
- disappointed
- feeling sad because something did not go well
- leader
- the person in charge of a group
- politics
- the work of running a country
- prices
- how much things cost
- bill
- a paper showing money you must pay
- update
- new information about something happening
📚 Ready to use these words in a real conversation?
Practice live with a real tutor on Preply.
Quiz
Answer key
1. Australia's treasurer 2. Fuel costs and the end of energy rebates 3. False
✅ Nice work on the quiz!
Keep the momentum going — book a live English lesson with a Preply tutor.
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Jim Chalmers is the _____ of Australia.
He spoke about _____ going up in the country.
First, _____ costs went up.
Second, the government stopped giving people money for _____ bills.
This extra money was called a _____.
A rebate is money the government gives _____ to people.
When prices go up across a country, we call this _____.
Mehreen Faruqi spoke about a _____.
Faruqi is a _____ from the Greens party.
She said she felt _____ about the result.
🎓 Enjoyed this story?
Turn today's reading into real speaking practice with a live Preply tutor.
More Politics stories
Next story · Easy
OpenAI Shows New AI Assistant, Delays Bigger Model