State of economy dialogue prompts National Budget rethink, says PM

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said yesterday that last week’s State of the Fijian Economy Dialogue has given the Government opportunity to revise next week’s 2026-2027 National Budget, despite previously labelling the event a “one-sided discussion”.

“It’s given us a good opportunity to revise what we had in mind and also take on board some of the concerns raised to plan better,” Mr Rabuka said.

“So that when it’s presented, the people know why and where they will be going for this.”

He said budget details remained classified until its announcement next week, on June 26.

Last week’s two-day dialogue, organised by Dialogue Fiji, brought together Reserve Bank of Fiji, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, private sector, civil society and opposition representatives to examine Fiji’s macroeconomic framework and fiscal sustainability ahead of the 2026-2027 National Budget.

Mr Rabuka had earlier described the event as a “one-sided discussion”, while Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau called it an “anti-government monologue”.