Australian Services Union Declares Economic Emergency: RBA Rate Rises and Soaring Fuel Prices Pushing Household Budgets to the Brink

Australian Services Union Media Release 18th March 2026

The Australian Services Union (ASU) National Executive has today passed a resolution declaring that the current path of endless interest rate hikes is completely untenable for working Australians.

The resolution recognises that the RBA’s aggressive rate rises during a period of soaring fuel prices are hurting average Australians and destroying the ability of workers to make ends meet.

By driving up mortgages and rents to record levels, these interest rate hikes are pricing Australians out of their own homes, making budgets impossible to manage and stripping away the ability of everyday Australians to put food on the table.

The ASU resolution passed by the National Executive also sounds the alarm on potential cuts to government spending, warning these will further hurt workers.

The solution to this crisis is targeted cost of living relief, not unchecked corproate greed and cuts to government spending.

Fighting inflation must never involve gutting the essential services that communities rely on during times of crisis. Now more than ever, well-funded government and community services, such as food banks, are required to support those doing it tough.

“Australian workers are being subjected to a form of economic warfare”, said ASU National Secretary Emeline Gaske.

“The RBA’s obsession with hiking interest rates is a blunt instrument that is crushing families and making it impossible to make ends meet in this country.

“Enough is enough. We are saying loud and clear, that every worker has a right to housing and a dignified life.

“These are not luxuries to be traded away for a budget surplus or sacrificed to satisfy a failed economic theory. We are talking about the ability for workers to put food on the table.

“The solution to inflation cannot be found by putting working people under extreme pressure while the big end of town rakes in record profits and CEO pay remains out of control.”

Governments and employers need to pull out all the stops to support workers through this. The ASU calls on the government to refrain from spending cuts during the upcoming budget and instead, urges further support for community services that have been stretched to the limit.

Workers are worried about fuel insecurity and the looming threat of standdowns, which ASU members have already seen in the mining industry and workers in transport and aviation are concerned that they could be next.

The ASU National Executive Resolution demands:

• A Real Wage Increase: An urgent wage increases for all workers, including the lowest paid through the annual wage review to ensure workers can make ends meet and keep up with soaring housing costs.
• Fuel Relief Through WFH: Universal support for working from home where possible, to save ASU members hundreds of dollars a month in fuel and commuting costs.
• A 4-Day Week for Frontline Workers: For those who cannot work from home, like parks officers, aged care workers, disability, and childcare workers and waste collectors, the ASU is demanding flexible arrangements, such as a four-day work week at full pay, to drastically reduce the cost of the daily commute.
• Urgent Fuel Bill Relief: An immediate review and increase of travel allowances, including a specific NDIA supplement for rates paid to workers who are currently out-of-pocket for driving clients to essential appointments.
• Protection Against Standdowns: With mining workers already being stood down, the ASU is on high alert for our members in transport and aviation who are concerned about their job security. We will fight any attempt to use economic volatility as an excuse to strip workers of their livelihoods.

“Workers have a right to housing and a dignified life”, Ms. Gaske said. 

“If the big end of town can afford multi-million dollar bonuses, they can afford to ensure the people who keep this country running aren’t being priced out of their homes just to pay for a fuel tank or a grocery shop.”