THE BIG PICTURE

* With the COVID-19 pandemic, flooding and Ukraine-Russia war creating headwinds, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is emphasising the “fiscal dividend of a stronger economy”.

* Budget deficit estimated to be around $70 billion, instead of the $98.9 billion estimated in the mid-year budget review in December 2021

The prime minister has apologised to Australians for being “too optimistic” over the summer as he made a pre-election pitch focused on low taxes, jobs and national security.

New figures suggest a strong economic recovery is underway after the set-back of the recent COVID-19 lockdowns, with employment numbers growing and businesses upgrading their investment intentions.

Winter crop production in Australia will hit a new national record despite destructive rains in some parts of the country, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.

Share markets have hit the wobbles lately on the back of a long worry list ranging from growth concerns, central bank tapering, the US debt ceiling and fears of about China Evergrande’s problems.

Giving to charity can be a great way to help others and give your tax return a boost, but not all donations are tax deductible. Here’s what you need to know about making a tax deductible donation.

Josh Frydenberg is open to reviewing how the Reserve Bank of Australia sets monetary policy, a recommendation made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

But if you’re struggling to know where to start, financial adviser and author of On Your Own Two Feet, Helen Baker has three money questions everyone should ask themselves — and advice on how to turn things around if your answers are less than positive.

The Australian economy may just avoid a second recession in as many years, but it will be touch-and-go because of the lockdowns in its two major cities.

Three months ago there was much optimism about the Australian economic outlook. GDP regained its pre pandemic level, confidence was strong, the jobs market was roaring, there was minimal community coronavirus & vaccines were providing optimism of a more sustained reopening.

Much of the recent focus among the economist fraternity has been on Australia’s economic performance during the September quarter, and whether an expected contraction will extend into the December quarter.

KPMG is proposing a plan that would enable a parent returning to work to catch up on their “lost” superannuation while they have been looking after the children.

Despite lots of worries – around the resurgence of coronavirus driven by the Delta variant, peak growth, peak monetary and fiscal stimulus and high inflation – global and Australian shares are around record levels.

Nearly half of Australia’s accounting fraternity are worried about the state of the economy over the next three months and are only fractionally less concerned on their six-month view.

The current environment seems to be one of extreme uncertainty. We have seen a strong economic recovery from last year’s global and Australian recessions – but there are worries about the resurgence of coronavirus driven by the Delta variant, peak growth, peak monetary and fiscal stimulus, high inflation, and high debt levels.