‘I don’t know what that is’: Budget response reveals how disengaged Aussies are

A video of everyday Australians answering a single question has exposed the surprising thing people really couldn’t care less about in 2025.

The federal budget was announced last night, but Aussies aren’t mad or happy – they’re just disengaged and oblivious.

The biggest takeaway from the Labor Party’s election budget was that every Australian taxpayer earning over $18,200 will get a new tax cut.

For a worker earning an average of $79,000 a year, the tax cut is $5.15 extra a week.

Aussies can also look forward to energy rebate being extended, which will be delivered in two separate $75 rebate payments.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers also addressed university students with HECS debt; graduates will have 20 per cent of their loans wiped.

The budget was delivered amid an upcoming election. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Aussies can also look forward to the energy rebate being extended. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton immediately started feuding about the budget.

Mr Albanese claimed the cuts were “modest” but argued that they meant that “every Australian got a tax cut”, not just high-income earners.

While speaking with Today, Mr Dutton was unimpressed and said the government doesn’t “understand what’s happening within families and small businesses at the moment”.

“People are hurting and people are going backwards under this government, and there’s been no structural change to address that,” he said.

You might think the budget would be the topic that would get Aussies fired up, but when news.com.au headed to Sydney’s inner west in Newtown, people were more oblivious and uninterested than anything else.

One man carrying a coffee responded swiftly “no” when asked if he had watched the budget last night.

When asked if he cared about the budget, he said, “probably not”, remaining unimpressed when told about the extra $5 in tax cuts.

He said, maybe jokingly or dead serious, that he’d need $1000 back from the government daily to see a real difference.

Similarly, when a young woman was stopped and asked about the budget, she looked more confused than opinionated.

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t even know what that is,” she said.

Another woman stopped and, when asked, said she was in the same camp and needed clarification on what “budget” I was even referring to.

“I don’t know what that is,” she said.

When asked if there was anything the budget could have done to improve her life, she took quite the philosophical approach.

“Probably not. I don’t think too deeply about it.”

He wasn't across the budget. Picture: news.com.au

She said there needs to be more relief for renters. Picture: news.com.au

The theme of disinterest continued.

One woman simply said she doesn’t watch the news and, therefore, has no opinion on the matter.

Another woman, when asked if she watched the budget last night, said “no I didn’t” but shared that she wished more was being done about housing affordability.

Meanwhile, a man walking his dog also admitted he didn’t watch the budget being handed down, but explained that he has since found out it doesn’t really make a big “difference” to him.

Though, in terms of the extra $5, he said he supposed that every little bit counts.

Another man simply replied, “I didn’t listen to the news” when asked about the budget but did like the idea of using his extra $5 a week to buy literal peanuts.

Aussies are exhausted amid the cost of living crisis. Picture: istock

The lack of opinion from Aussies is surprising, considering how the cost of living crisis is plaguing everyone.

Groceries are more expensive and housing costs have skyrocketed. If you’re a mortgage holder, you’re being stung by the 4.10 per cent cash rate, and if you’re renting, you’re paying record-high rents, with the national average now at $600 a week.

Financial comparison website Finder has also found that Aussies are feeling financially strapped.

In March, 40 per cent of Aussies surveyed said groceries were one of their most stressful expenses, and one in three listed their mortgage or rent as a top bill stressor.

Finder’s Cost of Living Pressure Gauge — which combines data from Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker (CST) and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) — shows that the pressure experienced by Australian households is in the “very high” range at 73 per cent.

Money expert at Finder, Rebecca Pike, explained that “many Australians are on the brink of financial despair”, to the point where the budget feels meaningless.

“After a few years now of cost of living pressures, rental chaos and rising interest rates, many Australians will be feeling like the government hasn’t been supporting them, and so why would they think this budget is anything different?” she said.

“While the budget offered a token $150 energy relief, it’s unlikely to significantly ease immediate pressures.”

Ms Pike advised struggling Aussies to focus on what they can control and keep doing their best to get by.

“Take proactive steps regarding your finances, irrespective of the federal budget or election outcomes. Focus on the things you can control such as building savings, scrutinising expenses, and seeking better deals on your energy or insurance,” she said.