Oct 8 (Reuters) -
* FITCH RTGS: AUSTRALIA TO PRIORITISE GROWTH OVER NEAR-TERM FISCAL CONSOLIDATION
* FITCH - WIDER FISCAL DEFICIT PROJECTIONS CONTAINED IN AUSTRALIA BUDGET HIGHLIGHT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S SHIFT TO MORE ACTIVE USE OF FISCAL POLICY
* FITCH - IN OUR VIEW, AUSTRALIA CAME INTO CORONAVIRUS SHOCK WITH FISCAL SPACE TO COUNTER NEAR-TERM EFFECTS OF CRISIS
* FITCH - AUSTRALIA'S RATING UNDERPINNED BY COUNTRY'S STRONG INSTITUTIONS,MACROECONOMIC FRAMEWORK, WHICH HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO ROBUST RESPONSE TO CRISIS
* FITCH - EXPECT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE TO FALL BELOW 6% IN FY22, COMPARED WITH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S PROJECTION THAT THIS WILL ONLY OCCUR IN FY23