00:02Canberrans have been getting a rude shock at the bowser recently.
00:06There's real pressure on consumer budgets at the moment.
00:09Householders are just not out spending as much as they perhaps would of a year ago.
00:14With another interest rate rise expected next week,
00:17the Chamber says Canberra business sentiment is as bad as it's ever been.
00:21The cost of running a business is up just as the cost of running a household is up.
00:24So there's a whole lot of costs impacting businesses
00:26at the same time that consumers aren't spending as much.
00:29Retail, hospitality and services businesses have been the hardest hit.
00:33You've got portable long service leave levies coming in here in the ACT
00:36on the hospitality sector from January.
00:39You've got commercial rates that have gone up about 8% this year.
00:43While an interest rate hike would particularly hurt small businesses.
00:46My real worry is for those small businesses that are heavily leveraged.
00:50They've got very small margins.
00:51They're very reliant on customers coming through the door and spending.
00:54And those are the ones that are most at risk in the current situation.
00:58Businesses aren't alone in reaching out for help.
01:00The local RSPCA says pet owners being unable to afford care
01:04is one of the main reasons animals are being handed in.
01:07Where if you're sort of stuck between paying for the ridiculous petrol prices
01:11or paying for a cat, I guess you might have to put yourself first.
01:15But it's still really sad to hear that.
01:16Hard decisions at a time when many could do with man's best friend.
01:20Hard decisions at a time when many could do with man's best friend.
01:20Hard decisions at a time when many would have been
