Canberrans looking for cost-of-living relief in ACT budget might be left wanting

Rach Ross says the Molonglo Juggernauts Football Club is in a "state of crisis". (ABC News: Monte Bovill)

On a chilly Canberra night, Molonglo Juggernauts football players have taken to the field for their weekly training session.

It's about six degrees Celsius, and inside the change rooms, a small heater is attempting to keep the room warm.

But the cold is the least of the football club's problems — rats and mice have taken hold in their club rooms, and several safety concerns have been identified at the aging facility in Stirling.

"We are in a state of crisis," club president Rach Ross said.

She said costs for the club had gone "up and up" and they've received no help from the ACT government, which owns the facility.

"We won't be able to absorb those costs and those costs will have to go to the players," she said.

"It will see participation rates decrease and it could see a club completely crippled."

Canberran football coach Jess Ross says budgeting is a common topic among players. (ABC News: Monte Bovill)

And it's not only the club that's under pressure, but the players themselves.

Out on the field, the Juggernauts' women's coach and mother-of-four Jess Ross said she and others were being mindful of where they were spending their money.

"So many people were like 'got to go on a payment plan' and 'we got to work it into our budgets' and stuff like that," she said.

If they were looking for relief in today's ACT budget, they might not have found what they were looking for.

For the football club's oval itself, there is some money for the installation of lighting, but that is about it.

And when it comes to cost-of-living support for Canberrans doing it tough, there is some limited relief.

ACT Treasurer Chris Steel and Finance Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith released the annual budget papers on Wednesday. (ABC News: Stuart Carnegie)

The controversial $100 health levy from last year's budget has been removed, and a plan to make motor vehicle registration more expensive has been deferred.

In the lead-up to the budget, more money for food relief was announced, as well as a new Housing Crisis Support Fund to help low-income households experiencing rental stress.

But with a predicted budget deficit for 2026-27 of $323.4 million, which is $243.7 million worse than what was forecast last year, the government has been careful not to over-commit.

Some fees and charges will be introduced and others increase following today's budget announcement. (ABC News: Sharon Gordon)

The budget papers also reveal a return to surplus has blown out by a year, now