Australian consumers will have to tighten their budgets, spend less at the shopping mall and attempt to pare back existing debt.

Corporate Australia is firmly behind the wheel of the Australian economy, while consumers have taken on the role of passengers in the current environment.

Think of it as a shopping mall and their station is the little store in the back next to where you get your nails done.

The soaring price of petrol is now starting to pose a major threat to the Australian economy.

We don't want to duplicate our efforts with the dollars each of our budgets have. We want to expand that story and hopefully cover all points in doing it at different sites.

It's not that consumers have stopped shopping; it is just that they're slowing down.