KEATING SEES LOWER AUSTRALIAN CURRENT DEFICIT
Australian Treasurer Paul Keating said
he expects the country's 1986/87 current account deficit to be
one billion dlrs lower than the 14.7 billion forecast in the
August budget. Keating told a financiers' dinner that
February's 750 mln dlr deficit, against January's 1.23 billion,
was "in the groove" of the government's expectations.
    "We will probably bring the current account this year under
14 billion, I think, which will probably be about a billion
dollars less than we forecast in the budget," Keating said. "I am
sure we will see a lower current account deficit for next year
... And a fall as proportion of GDP."
    Australia posted a 13.82 billion dlr current account
deficit in 1985/86 and Keating said the latest monthly figures
showed an encouraging trend.
    Keating said the government would maintain responsible
economic management regardless of whether it was drawn into an
election, because it would take time to stabilise Australia's
80 billion dlr foreign debt.
    "We have to build the import competing sector back," he said.
"We are now trying to rebuild our capital structure. We are
trying to rebuild the culture of productivity and
manufacturing."
    Keating said the foundation for a transition of the economy
had been laid with the floating of the Australian dollar and
continued with wage restraint and deregulation.
    The Government would follow with spending cuts in its
economic statement on May 14, he said.
 REUTER
