The Finance Minister's still aiming for a surplus this decade, despite today's bleak economic news.

Treasury's Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows more delay to getting the books back to black. 

The deficit's expected to deepen more to a high of $16.9 billion and not narrow to $60 million dollars until 2029-30.

Nicola Willis says a 2029 surplus is very achievable.

"What that will take is just a small revision to the growth upwards, combined with fiscal discipline. And those are two things that our Government is committed to." 

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