Western Australian Treasury Corporation
Mining capex and GST review driving WA recovery
Western Australia (WA)’s economy is continuing an upward trajectory, with increased mining revenues and a favourable reallocation of goods and services tax (GST) among the main drivers of fiscal improvement. The state is now forecasting a fiscal surplus in 2019/20, one year earlier than expected.
Team Australia hits the road to fulfil expanded issuance task
The early weeks of 2025 suggested markets are picking up where they left off at the end of the previous year: ample liquidity and generally favourable issuance conditions for good-quality borrowers despite periodic volatility prompted by a febrile geopolitical environment. Australia’s high-grade issuers enter the year with plenty of funding to do and – in the case of semi-governments – heightened scrutiny on their debt burdens. KangaNews and National Australia Bank gathered a group of female leaders from the issuer and investor spaces to discuss the market outlook.
Demand supports growing issuance from Australian sovereign sector issuers
In July, KangaNews and Westpac Institutional Bank gathered Australia’s biggest sovereign and semi-government issuers to discuss their funding needs and strategies. Semi-government spreads have risen and funding tasks remain high, but issuers have plenty of options.
Leadership and whole-of-issuer stories the focus of high-grade GSS issuance
Green, social and sustainability bonds have become a consistent component of high-grade Australian dollar issuance. While labelled deals still deliver a relatively small proportion of aggregate supply, these issuers have led the evolution of the market and, in particular, the drive toward a holistic understanding of borrowers’ sustainability credentials.
Time for Australian sustainable finance to step up to the plate
Clearer policy direction, the development and implementation of a local taxonomy and mandatory climate reporting, and the impending inevitability of energy transition seem set to turbo charge the Australian sustainable finance market. Speakers at the KangaNews Sustainable Debt Summit in Sydney on 19 March discussed the economic and market impact of this inflection point.
Solid foundations for an uncertain future
The 2023 Commonwealth Bank of Australia Global Markets Conference brought international investors to Australia at a fascinating juncture for the local economy and the fixed-income asset class. While the general view remains that the central bank hiking cycle is close to played out, the market is also coming to terms with the real consequences of a higher for longer environment. Australia is not fully insulated against cold global winds but it also has reasons for optimism.
HIGH-GRADE ISSUERS YEARBOOK 2024
The ultimate guide to Australian and New Zealand government-sector borrowers.
