Australian treasurer defends claim high interest rates slow economic growth

CANBERRA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday defended his claim that high interest rates are "smashing" the country's economy.

Chalmers dismissed suggestions that he was criticizing the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), the nation's central bank, when he identified high interest rates as a factor in slow economic growth.

It came ahead of the release of the latest gross domest