Pandemic to cost Australia government $131 billion this year

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s response to the coronavirus pandemic tipped the government’s budget 85.8 billion Australian dollars ($61 billion) into the red in the last fiscal year and will create AU$184 billion ($131 billion) more debt in the current year which would be the nation’s biggest deficit since World War II, treasury figures showed on Thursday. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg revealed Australia’s crumbling economic outlook based on…