Media Releases December 2019

The Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI®) dropped 3.9 points to 40.0 in November, despite interest rate cuts and an easing in bank lending restrictions producing encouraging signs of a stabilisation in house building activity (readings below 50 indicate contraction in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the decrease).

As Australia and our international peers gather at the UN Climate Conference in Madrid, it is clear that the world is not yet on track to stay within the temperature limits set out in the Paris Agreement. Getting there will require more ambition and action around the world, including in Australia. Our organisations, representing broad sections of the community and meeting as the Australian Climate Roundtable, today announced the next steps in our work to help Australia play our fair part in these efforts while maintaining and increasing our prosperity.

"Ai Group urges all members of the Federal Parliament's crossbench to support the Ensuring Integrity Bill now that it has been returned to the Parliament," Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said today.

"The release by the Australian Bureau of Statistics of data showing a further period of slow economic growth in the September quarter is a reminder of the fragility of the economy. It is troubling that sluggish growth was recorded despite very strong growth in exports and government services. These positive elements are masking the extent of weakness in the domestic economy and the significant impact of local and global headwinds including trade disruptions, extensive drought and a cyclical housing downturn," Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox said today.

"The High Court decision today rejecting claims for common fund orders in class actions is a positive outcome for class action members who stood to lose a very high proportion of any awards in their favour to litigation funders," Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox said today.

"While successive federal, state and territory governments have tried to arrest the long-term decline in Australian students' performance in literacy, maths and science, the latest international assessment results show that it appears most measures are failing to work," Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said today.

The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Services Index (Australian PSI®) fell by 1.5 points to 53.7 in November, marking a fourth month of positive conditions as the retail & hospitality sector demonstrated robust growth on the back of in-store and online sales events in the lead-up to Christmas (results above 50 points indicate expansion, with the distance from 50 points indicating the strength of the increase).

"The amendments to the Anti-Encryption Act set to be introduced by the Federal Opposition tomorrow deserve consideration given that the Act as it now stands could lead to the weakening of the cyber security of businesses and its customers," Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said today.

"The Australian Industry Group welcomes the release today by the Attorney General's Department of a discussion paper on: Cooperative Workplaces – How can Australia capture productivity improvements from more harmonious workplace relations," Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said today.

Summer is upon us and with predictions of extended periods of extreme heat we need to be conscious of the pressure this will place on our energy system. Energy suppliers, energy users, the market operator and governments are working hard to ensure that all reasonable measures have been taken to ensure the energy system is in the best shape possible. However, when problems inevitably occur policy makers and the community in general need to have front of mind that knee jerk interventions to pursue more energy reliability could end up costing consumers much more for little if any gain.