Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was bluntly asked, 'when will Australians' lives get any easier?' during a press conference.
He was questioned about the cost-of-living crisis after fresh inflation figures came in higher than expected, fuelling expectations of another interest rate rise next week.
It comes as Australians battle soaring food, transport, housing and healthcare costs.
'Can you give Australians a sense of when their lives are going to get easier and not harder?' a journalist asked.
Albanese responded: 'One of the things I've said is that these challenges won't be solved overnight.
'These are pressures that we have a role in, in Australia domestically, but some of these pressures are global.
'We've been straight with people, this is a challenge. Whilst there are these global increases in oil prices, that will have an impact here in Australia.
'We're not immune from that impact.'
Anthony Albanese (pictured) was asked when Australian's lives would 'get easier'
Tim Wilson said that 'nobody believes' Jim Chalmers (pictured) and Labor on the economy
Journalists repeatedly pressed Albanese on whether he was worried Australians sitting around their kitchen tables felt the government was failing to reign in spending to combat inflation.
'We understand very much, and we're very much focused on the issue of inflation,' he said.
Albanese defended Labor's economic management, highlighting two budget surpluses, lower projected debt and what he described as around $180billion in savings since taking office.
He insisted that measures such as cheaper medicines, free TAFE and expanded Medicare services were helping households manage rising costs while supporting the economy over the longer term.
Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson attacked the government over inflation and rising interest rates, accusing Treasurer Jim Chalmers of pursuing an 'active inflation agenda' and failing to rein in spending.
Speaking on Wednesday after the latest inflation numbers, Wilson said Australians had lost faith in Labor's economic message.
'You said we're going to throw the kitchen sink at getting inflation down and interest rates down,' he said.
'Whether it's the Reserve Bank, whether it's the International Monetary Fund, or whether it's the Labor backbench, nobody believes Jim Chalmers' spin anymore.'
Wilson said households and businesses were bearing the brunt of government policy.
Australians are facing soaring grocery bills. Pictured: A woman at a supermarket in Sydney
'The reality is Australians are sick of it,' he said.
'They're sick of the lies. They're sick of the rubbish spin that Jim Chalmers is putting forward, because they know they're the ones who are paying the price for his active inflation agenda and his spending addiction.'
