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Business View Australia - September 2015 17
The fall in commodity prices and
the slowdown in China is a reality
that the country has been living
with for some time now. While it
is impossible to predict when this
sector will pick up, there have been
other developments in Australian
business which are not getting
the attention they deserve. These
changes are positive and are an
indication of things to come.
Growth in the Home
Building Industry
The Performance of Construction
Index by the Australian Industry
Group and the Housing Industry
Association increased by 6.7 points
to 53.8 in August. This growth was
propelled by residential construction
and apartment building was the
strongest performer. In a welcome
sign, commercial construction rose
by 9.4 points to 54.6, after nine
months of decline.
The momentum provided by
expansion in the home and
residential sector was enough to
more than make up for the decline in
engineering construction which has
occurred due to slackness in mining
and allied activities. The overall
upswing in construction activities
will have a cascading effect and will
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