2022 Economic Wrap-up with Dr Sarah Hunter, KPMG

Australia’s economy has grown strongly through 2022, despite the headwinds from high inflation, global geopolitical shocks and rising interest rates; the release of pent-up demand post-lockdown and strong employment growth have supported household spending, and a solid pipeline of construction work and rising capital expenditure by businesses have also added to demand. Going into 2023 growth momentum will inevitably slow, and this will be welcomed by the RBA as the Board continues to raise rates to tame inflation. The data still suggests that a soft landing is possible, and compared to other economies Australia remains better placed; GDP in the US has broadly stagnated this year, while Europe is still grappling with the fall out from the conflict in Ukraine.