With the federal budget less than two weeks away, surging inflation and a war-driven energy shock are forcing the government to rewrite its budget narrative in real time.

Meanwhile, Senator Tim Ayres backs ‘balanced’ immigration, defends the National Reconstruction Fund and targets hyperscalers for more AI deals

We discuss:

• CPI at 4.6% and what it means for the budget
• Why "resilience" is Labor's new budget buzzword
• The blame the government may be subjected to if high fuel prices continue
• Capital gains tax reform and the housing affordability debate
• Why no one in Canberra wants to talk about the skills shortage
• The migration debate and One Nation's anti-growth agenda
• The National Reconstruction Fund
• Tim Ayres’ comments to Capital Brief on hyperscalers and AI infrastructure 

On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power.

Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live.

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