Australian GDP grows just 0.2% as interest rates hit consumption

SYDNEY -- Australia's gross domestic product grew just 0.2% in the second quarter of this year, according to data released on Wednesday, with government spending propping up the economy as consumer spending weakened.

The figure, in line with economists' expectations, follows a 0.2% GDP rise in the first three months of the year. It continues a run of slow growth that has intensified the spotlight on the government's management of the economy.