Budget pressures on Canberra families

It's been a challenging time for Grace Sykes and her family, who have recently arrived in Canberra.

"I think the biggest thing that we've noticed is the increase in groceries," Ms Sykes said.

"That's been really hard, when you're shopping for things like fresh fruit and vegetables and meats, that really takes its toll on doing other activities that you'd usually like to do.

"So you've got to cut costs where you can.

"Everything seems to keep increasing."

For Nick Heerdegen, Anthea Hasler and their baby Adeline, childcare and rent assistance are the biggest concerns for their spending.

They're renting a place in Belconnen, but said government payments and help from their parents are the only reason they can afford to stay there.

"We'd be pretty screwed if we were trying to rent a place now, we have a lot of people who are paying a lot more for a lot less. I think if we had to pay $100 more a week or something, like the people next door to us, we couldn't afford that," Mr Heerdegen said.

"We're lucky to have parents who can help us out."

For Ms Sykes and her family, rental prices have been an adjustment after living in the remote NT.

"I think with the rental market it's always a struggle because there's such a a high demand, so I don't think we're going to see a decrease in rental properties," she said.

"I would just like to see a decrease in any type of cost of living, that would be great."

The family may be better off under changes to the Commonwealth Rent Assistance scheme. The federal government has increased the maximum rate by a further 10 per cent.

This, on top of an increase last year, will mean some families will receive about $70 extra a fortnight back in their pockets.

Power bill relief will also help with household costs with $300 rebates set to be given.

Childcare was also a key concern for many Canberra families. A day at daycare in the city can cost families up to $165 per child.

Both Mr Heerdegen and Ms Sykes said that paying for childcare was out of reach without government support.

"I would always talk about childcare being something that's obviously of a big benefit to myself, especially with a young family, but I think that anything could help in any way at the moment," Ms Sykes said.

"I think the hardest thing is they keep saying things will get better, but it's been a long time now."

However getting government subsidies can be a nightmare, Ms Hasler said. They've got Adeline booked in for three days a week, but will be out of pocket for the first few weeks until the payments kick in.

"The whole benefits process is really hard and really stressful to try and, you know, they would require so much information from you and it's really delayed," Ms Hasler said.

"Getting a childcare subsidy is pretty much a must, otherwise there's no point working."

MORE BUDGET COVERAGE:

With tax cuts key to this year's budget, many families are keen for some extra cash in their pockets.

But for Mr Heerdegen and his family, it won't make a significant difference.

"I don't know how much it would be a year, a couple grand maybe. It's nice, but I don't know if we'll really notice it," he said.

With interest rates still high and the price of fuel and food still rising, Ms Sykes said they're just hoping for a change.

"It'd be nice to be able to afford to fuel up and do a grocery bill for under $500," she said.

Supermarkets are set to come under a tighter microscope, with the budget including money to fund supermarket price transparency and comparison reports.