SYDNEY An Australian man retrenched on Friday morning became a multi-millionaire a few hours later when he discovered he had won a A$9.0 million (U.S.$4.5 million) lottery.

"The retrenchment was an absolute surprise and I was really down in the dumps," the unidentified man said in a statement released by the Tattersall's lottery group.

But his luck changed when he heard on his car radio that someone had won the "powerball" jackpot lottery and he stopped at a shop to check his ticket.

"It is an unbelievable shock", he said, adding he wouldn't be looking for a new job. "My wife knows I've been retrenched and she is pretty upset, so this will really cheer her up."