Australian private debt (around 130% of GDP) is significantly higher than public debt (around 34% of GDP)
, making private debt the larger and more significant debt issue for the country's economy. Public debt is the total debt of the government, while private debt is the combined debt of households and corporations. A key difference is that public debt is issued by the government to the private sector and is generally considered low-risk due to its history of repayment, whereas private debt can be riskier due to potential corporate or household defaults.