Media Releases July 2020

The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Business Index (Australian PBI) lifted by 1.8 points to 33.6 in June, pointing to a further contraction in activity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic but at a slightly slower pace than in May (results below 50 points in the Australian PBI indicate deteriorating business conditions, with lower numbers indicating a faster pace of deterioration in the month).

The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Services Index (Australian PSI®) fell slightly by 0.1 points to 31.5 points in June, indicating another serious contraction in activity and at a similar pace to May. This was the second lowest result in the history of this series (commencing in 2003), following a record low in April (results below 50 points indicate contraction, with lower numbers indicating a stronger pace of decline).

"Today and tomorrow the High Court of Australia will hear the appeal by Mondelēz International and the Minister for Industrial Relations against the split decision of the Full Federal Court in the Mondelez v AMWU case. The case relates to the meaning of the expression '10 days of paid personal/carer's leave' in section 96 of the Fair Work Act and has major implications for businesses that have employees who work more than 7.6 ordinary hours per day or on a part-time basis," Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group, said today.

"The Ill-considered closure of the NSW-Victoria border will pull the rug out from under any recovery and is chaos in the making," Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group, said today.

Countries around the globe are facing an unprecedented health emergency and economic challenge. Australia, faring better than many others on the health front, is nevertheless in the midst of its greatest economic crisis in decades.

The Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI®) rose by 10.6 points to 35.5 in June, indicating that business conditions remained negative across the construction industry but the pace of contraction eased from the record lows experienced since March (readings below 50 indicate contraction in activity, with lower results indicating a faster contraction).

"The announcement today of a new updated strategy for Australia’s defence arrangements is a strong and timely response to rising geo-political tensions and uncertainty. The directions announced will make Australia more resilient and better equipped to meet potential challenges and will require further development of domestic defence industry capabilities,” Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group said today.