In this economy?
One economist said today's national accounts figures painted "a picture of a sad economy without much hope". For the treasurer, they were a signal that a soft landing is achievable.
Jim Chalmers is confident he is steering the economy towards a soft landing.
“I’d rather avoid a hard landing than clean up after one,” the treasurer said on Wednesday as he defended government spending measures, including cost-of-living support, in the middle of a high-inflation environment.
His comments came in the wake of the national accounts release, which showed the economy grew by just 0.3% in the September quarter — well below the expected 0.5%.
Most of the growth came from record state and federal government spending, rather than private sector activity.
