ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr will belatedly hand down the territory’s 2020/21 budget against the backdrop of a marked recovery from the impact of COVID-19. Tuesday’s budget will show a deficit of $603.1 million for 2020/21, an improvement of $306.4 million when compared to an earlier forecast in August as a result of a boost in the ACT jobs market and an improved growth outlook. Barr, who is also the territory’s treasurer, delayed the release of the budget from last June because of the coronavirus crisis, which toppled the national economy into its first recession since the early 1990s. Like other jurisdictions in Australia, the ACT’s budget bottom line has suffered, having been forecast to be a more modest $170.5 million deficit at the time of the 2019/20 budget review and before the pandemic set in. However, an effective public health response to the virus has been a key factor …