The Prime Minister has claimed many local business owners he recently met in the Sydney suburb of Penrith are “optimistic” about their futures despite inflation concerns.

“The small businesses that we spoke to gave us a very warm welcome,” Anthony Albanese said during Question Time on Wednesday.

“We went there to the Westfield in Penrith and we talked to the new coffee shop owner that had been open just for a few weeks. And they were optimistic about their future.”