Responding to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) projections forecasting the next five years will be the slowest for economic growth in more than three decades, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Saturday said citizens should be realistic about future fiscal challenges.

Chalmers will in May hand down his second federal budget, which he said would aim to “strike the right balance between targeted cost-of-living relief, responsible fiscal management and laying the foundations for future growth”, reports Xinhua news agency. “Australians should be optimistic about the future of our country, but realistic about the challenges we face, and the slowing global economy,” Chalmers was quoted as saying by the local media.