Australian Office of Financial Management The Future of the Commonwealth Government Securities Market

Australian Office of Financial Management Two Broad Themes fiscal context for the Commonwealth’s debt management operations establishment of the AOFM

Australian Office of Financial Management Commonwealth Headline Cash Balance* * Following recent changes in the Australian National Accounts Standards, the underlying and headline cash balance estimates in the chart from onwards include payments by the Commonwealth in respect of accumulated PTE superannuation liabilities.

Australian Office of Financial Management Commonwealth Net Call on the Market

Australian Office of Financial Management Commonwealth General Government Debt

Australian Office of Financial Management Fiscal Context Australia in the vanguard of OECD countries in addressing a new set of debt management policy issues –benefits of maintaining sovereign curve

Australian Office of Financial Management Fiscal Context Government position set out in Budget –a managed reduction in CGS –not to the full extent of projected reduction in net debt

Australian Office of Financial Management Fiscal Context maintaining the curve offers a number of benefits, including: –supports a range of domestic derivative and related markets –consistent with further development of Australia as a centre for global financial services

Australian Office of Financial Management Operational and Strategic Challenges a number of major operational and risk management challenges ahead balance between gross new debt issue, selected debt repurchase, yield curve consolidation –efficient execution within a rigorous risk framework very demanding of systems and resources

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM Australian Office of Financial Management established from 1 July 1999 management of these challenges an important consideration –but establishment of AOFM properly seen in a much longer-term, broader-based context

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM rising tide of financial sector deregulation, technological innovation and globalisation of markets over past years –fundamentally changed financial markets environment –balance of risks, challenges and opportunities facing all debt managers

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM across the OECD, clear trend through the 90s towards increasing efficiency in public sector service delivery –power, transport, telecommunications

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM Australia among the leaders in the OECD in pursuing a complementary focus on reform of public sector financial management –Charter of Budget Honesty –Accrual budgeting, reporting and accounting

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM Commonwealth ahead of the OECD sovereign curve in recognising the need to conduct debt management with an explicit financial risk management framework –market risk of the debt portfolio a particular management focus –introduced new management challenges in terms of credit and operational risk

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM risk management focus provides a framework for making such choices about risk –these additional risks taken on consciously and explicitly in pursuit of an optimal risk-return trade- off –very demanding of systems and resources –implications for institutional arrangements?

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM four-tiered management hierarchy for any borrower with a risk management orientation to debt management –philosophical approach –operating framework –measurement and reporting framework –organisational structure clear need for internal consistency among the four elements of the hierarchy

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM establishment of the AOFM not merely a ‘band-aid’ response to the prospective operational challenges of maintaining the liquidity and efficiency of the Commonwealth curve

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM much more about providing operational capability, systems and resources address inconsistencies between the philosophical commitment to financial risk management and the other three elements of the hierarchy –which have undermined the capacity to deliver the full benefits of a risk framework

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM as with any corporate treasury function, sovereign debt management is a business exposed to a variety of financial risks –fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers but critical distinctions between sovereign and a corporate as well

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM the sovereign, in its policy setting role, has the capacity to directly influence key financial market prices sheer weight of the sovereign as the largest issuer in the domestic market

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM sovereign curve provides the risk free pricing benchmark sovereign securities a primary hedging vehicle for the markets

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM over-arching philosophical position of the AOFM

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM eschew the potential short-term gains pursue the longer-term benefits of market confidence, liquidity and cost savings that accrue to responsible, transparent debt management, good communication and genuine citizenship

Australian Office of Financial Management AOFM Details of the role and operations of the AOFM over the period ahead