CANBERRA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said here on Tuesday the government's deposits guarantee had been a factor in banks lowering interest rates.

    The four big banks have all lowered their mortgage rates by around 0.2 percentage points over the past week independent of an official rate cut.

    The government announced on Oct. 12 it would guarantee all deposits at Australian banks.

    "Our decision on the deposit guarantee is certainly a factor in the interest rates you are seeing announced here," Swan told ABC TV.

    The treasurer said the financial outlook had improved slightly.

    "It looks a little brighter than it did a couple of weeks ago but it's still a rocky road ahead. We are seeing tentative signs. That's why the deposit guarantee and term funding guarantee we announced here were so important," he said.

    Swan said regulatory authorities are addressing that.

    "When you make a comprehensive move such as the government made it will always have some implications and knock-on effects, and you do have to deal with those as they come along," he said.