Public Debt in Australia

Australia - Public Debt
Government delivers stimulatory budget to boost recovery
On 11 May, the government unveiled its 2021–2022 budget, amid an ongoing and stronger-than-expected economic recovery from the downturn caused by the pandemic. In a bid to accelerate growth and drive the unemployment rate down, the government plans to ramp up spending and extend tax breaks, in tandem with the Central Bank’s ultra-loose stance consisting of record-low interest rates and a massive bond-buying program. The expected underlying cash deficit for the 12 months through June 2022 amounts to a sizable AUD 106.6 billion (around 5.0% of GDP). However, as the country boasts a strong record of prudent fiscal policies and low levels of public debt, the impact on fiscal risks is likely to be limited.
The main areas of stimulus are focused on infrastructure, the aged care sector and tax breaks for households and businesses. Over AUD 15 billion have been set aside for infrastructure projects such as roads and railways, with a view to improving productivity. Almost AUD 8 billion will be used to extend tax relief to low- and middle-income earners, while around AUD 18 billion have been earmarked for the employment-intensive aged care sector. Meanwhile, close to AUD 21 billion will be used to extend expensing and loss carryback measures for a further 12 months, in a bid to give some financial respite to crisis-hit companies. Lastly, the hard-hit tourism and education sectors have been granted just over AUD 2 billion in support, while almost AUD 2 billion have been reserved for the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
Commenting on the government’s plans, economists at ANZ stated:
“The budget contains a lot more spending than we expected. This creates upside risk to the growth outlook, which is intentional. But it also increases the risk of overheating down the track. It will do little to dissuade the market from thinking RBA rate hikes will come sooner than 2024.”
FocusEconomics panelists project the fiscal deficit to come in at 8.3% of GDP in 2021. In 2022, the fiscal deficit is seen narrowing to 4.9% of GDP.
Australia - Public Debt Data
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Debt (% of GDP) | 37.7 | 40.5 | 41.1 | 41.5 | 45.0 |
Australia Facts
Value | Change | Date | |
---|---|---|---|
Bond Yield | 1.37 | 1.47 % | Dec 31 |
Exchange Rate | 0.70 | 0.05 % | Dec 31 |
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Economic News
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Australia: Consumer sentiment weakens in August
August 9, 2022
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index decreased to 81.2 in August from 83.8 in July, marking the lowest reading since August 2020.
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Australia: Business confidence strengthens in July
August 9, 2022
The business confidence index produced by National Australia Bank (NAB) rose to 7.0 points in July from 1..4 points in June.
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Australia: Retail sales growth eases in June
August 3, 2022
Retail sales growth expanded 0.2% in month-on-month seasonally-adjusted terms in June, down from May’s 0.7% increase. Looking at the details of the release, household goods and department store sales fell in June, as did food retailing.
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Australia: RBA hikes rate further in August; hints at further hikes ahead
August 3, 2022
At its monetary policy meeting on 2 August, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) hiked the official cash rate (OCR) from 1.35% to 1.85%, as had been widely expected by markets.
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Australia: Inflation at over three-decades high in Q2
July 28, 2022
In the second quarter of 2022, consumer prices soared 1.8% over the previous quarter, following Q1’s 2.1% jump.