DESPITE the impact of capacity constraints and transport bottlenecks, Western Australia’s strength in commodities will maintain consistent growth over the next 12 months, according to Austrade chief economist Tim Harcourt.
Mr Harcourt’s comments followed the release of the fourth bi-annual DHL Export Barometer. Developed in conjunction with Austrade, the DHL Export Barometer is a national study of 308 of Australia’s key exporters, analysing export confidence and identifying export trends.
The May 2005 report revealed that the consistent strength of the Australian dollar and dampened economic conditions abroad had affected export confidence, with the next year’s sales forecasts down by 10 percentage points on the results of November 2004.
Reflecting the boom in commodity prices, however, WA was the best performing state over the past 12 months with more than half the exporters surveyed receiving an increase in orders.