Prime Minister Scott Morrison has commended Australians for their resilience while reflecting on his time as leader of the country.

In an interview with 7New’s The Morning Show, Morrison told hosts Kylie Gilles and Larry Emdur that he was “proud of Australians” for making it through “incredibly tough times”.

“We have seen some terrible disasters over the course of the last three-and-a-half years, you add that to that a global pandemic and global recession, it has been incredibly tough times,” Morrison said.

The Prime Minister said the floods, fires and droughts that Australians persevered through added to the “toughest moments”.

“But I am so proud of Australians,” he said.

“I made one bet and I continue to make one bet as prime minister and that is that I bet on Australians. I want them in charge. They are the ones I am backing.”

A large focus of Morrison’s election campaign has been trying to relieve the stress of the rising cost of living for Australians. He said with the current state of the world adding to the pressure, Morrison wants to help ease the stress and give Australians control.

“We know what is causing those pressures, the war in Europe, the disruption of the world’s economy from COVID, the supply chains, that is what is pushing prices up,” the Prime Minister said.

“But in Australia, we have had an economic shield protecting us from the worst of it.”

Data released from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows older Australians have been hit the hardest by the rising cost of living, with pensioners experiencing an annual household living cost of 4.9 per cent.

Head of Prices Statistics at the ABS Michelle Marquardt attributed the financial pressure on pensioners to household costs.

“These households were also more affected by increases in housing costs, as they have relatively higher expenditure levels on utilities, maintenance and repair, and property rates,” Marquardt said.

Both Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese have promised to help relieve the pressure on pensioners by freezing deeming rates to protect pension income support payments.

Australians will head to the polls on Saturday, May 21.