Australia avoids recession, justThe release of this morning’s GDP number suggests Australia has avoided recession, but only by a sliver; to be precise, 0.4% growth.
ABS
Trade figures raise hopes of better national accounts
The chances of a slightly better than expected set of growth figures in tomorrow’s national accounts have risen with a solid balance of payments for the March quarter.
ABS figures show the building boom is alive and growing
The 4.25% cut in interest rates and the first home buyer/builders grant continues to feed the rebound in home construction.
Economic data puts Australia on the precipice
Business indicators fell in the March quarter, confirming expectations of a negative reading for first quarter growth.
Fair suck of the sav: jobs, probability and the ABS
Remember last month the howls of incredulity when ABS unemployment figures were released showing a fall from 5.7 to 5.4%? Well, says Possum, the outrage was all for a 0.03% difference in the raw results’ accuracy!
Resources boom has well and truly gone kaput
The resources boom has gone well and truly kaput as the main driver of the Australian economy for the past five years takes a huge hit from the recession and credit crunch.
Climate change and employment in Australia, what history says
The main argument seems to be that we can’t tackle climate change until we’ve figured out where all the people who might lose their jobs would work. Well, recent history provides all the proof we need. writes Richard Denniss.
Construction activity returns to earth
This morning’s construction work figures will get the gloomsters out ratting their worry beads today for next week’s first quarter economic growth figures.
60 is not the new 40
Age discrimination continues in the workplace, writes Ava Hubble.
Political snippets: Nice try Aussie journos
The media really are going to extraordinary lengths to get Australian politicians implicated in the kind of expense account rorts that are battering the reputation of politicians in the United Kingdom. So far, no smoking gun.
Australia moves a fraction up the shame table of indigenous health
The ABS’s new work on indigenous death rates has dramatically narrowed the calculated life expectancy gap between indigenous Australians and the overall Australian community.
Indigenous life expectancy gap slashed
The ABS is about to dramatically intervene in the debate over the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.
Car sales accelerate, economy gets into gear
There’s another statistic which supports the belief that the Australian economy is travelling a bit better than we suspect at the moment.
ABS staff removal shemozzle
The downright bizarre process adopted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to cut 180 staff prior to the Budget has now been acknowledged as “clearly inadequate”.
So which is it, recession or recovery?
If we have somehow segued from recession to recovery without noticing it, we’ll be in a very peculiar position regarding our official forecasts, writes Bernard Keane.
Political snippets: Budget 09, quelle bore! And more
ABS cuts mean that labour force stat sample is reduced, Indian voting reaches final stages, Budget was boring.
ABS housing figures: first home buyers boom goes through the roof
The boosts to the first home buyers grants for new and existing housing have had a dramatic impact on levels of demand in the housing sector.
SackWatch 9: forget the ABS, we’ve got the real story
Crikey continues to document the jobs carnage at the front line with the ninth instalment of our SackWatch column.
Unemployment figures leave everyone gobsmacked
The April unemployment and jobless figures paint a picture of an economy in boom, not gloom.
Economists react to the drop in unemployment
Unemployment figures released this morning showed a 0.3% fall in the jobless rate in April, confounding analysts. Crikey asked the economists whether today’s data changed anything.
Political snippets: The ABS make the experts look stupid
ABS makes retail experts look foolish, Labor spinners paint Kevin Rudd as Robin Hood and heavy security for major European poll — Eurovision 2009.
Good news data shows consumption still buoyant
Today’s data will help lighten the gloom from an alarmist Government spruiking budget deficits of up to $50 billion.
The week in geek: Hate sites attack hated brands. Shock.
Hate sites. Hates sites everywhere! Attacking idolised Aussie brands like … McDonalds … and … Amex. Well done Daily Tele.
ABS engaged in brutal redundancy roll out
The Australian Bureau of Statistics management is engaging in a “brutal” redundancy process as part of its current cost-cutting drive.
34,700 Australians lost their jobs in March
The jobless rate has lagged the slide in the economy. Now, it’s catching up.
