Fuel relief may not be enough to help stressed budgets

Households already under pressure from higher interest rates will still face a cost wall of elevated fuel prices, despite government efforts to take some of the heat out.Two of Australia’s biggest banks have recorded spikes in spending at petrol stations since the US attacked Iran on February 28, sparking a war in the Middle East that has disrupted oil supplies.Both say this will push inflation higher, heightening the case for further central bank interest rate rises this year, even as federal government fu ...