Confidence up

Confidence up



BUSINESS confidence has risen for the first time in seven months, according to the latest Dun & Bradstreet National Business Expectations Survey. The survey also revealed that almost 70 per cent of executives claimed to have fully prepared the information needed to lodge their first Business Activity Statement. Of the 950 executives surveyed in August, 84 per cent said they were confident of meeting the monthly BAS deadline on September 4 and 71 per cent were confident of meeting the quarterly deadline on November 11.



Retail strong



RETAIL sales rebounded 5.6 per cent in August, following July’s post-GST slump of 8.9 per cent, but building approvals are at the lowest level in 17 years, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Department stores sales rebounded 29 per cent after a 31 per cent fall in July while clothing and soft goods were up 9.8 per cent. Meanwhile, a strong 1.8 per cent rise in food, which accounts for 40 per cent of retailing, ensured a large rise.



Transmission paper



THE Federal Government has released a Ministerial Discussion Paper aimed at updating transmission of business legislation. The paper, Transmission of Business and Workplace Relations Issues, has been reliant on work done by law firm Freehills. Transmission of business provisions have been part of federal workplace relations law since 1914.