SYDNEY, June 28 (Reuters) - Australia's budget surplus for 2022/23 will be bigger than the A$4.2 billion ($2.81 billion) projected in the May budget but high inflation and global challenges will "significantly slow" the domestic economy, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Wednesday.
"I can reveal that we're expecting the surplus will be bigger than forecast in May," Chalmers said in a speech to the Property Council of Australia.
Australia's Labor government in May boasted the first budget surplus in 15 years for the year to June 2023, a huge turnaround from the A$37 billion shortfall forecast last October.
"We expect (inflation) to stay higher than we'd like, for longer than we'd like, but still tracking in the right direction," Chalmers said.
($1 = 1.4963 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Jim Chalmers, Chalmers, Renju Jose, Sam Holmes
Organizations:
SYDNEY, Property Council of Australia, Labor, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson
Locations:
Australian, Sydney