No boom in Australia as retail figures disappoint

No sign of boom times. Retail sales figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics this morning show we are far from being in boom times. The June figure in current price seasonally adjusted terms was up a meagre 0.2 per cent on the previous month.

Adding to the suggestion that economic growth is now quite modest were building approval figures for the same month showing the third consecutive monthly fall.

According to the ABS, New South Wales (-6.2%), Queensland (-8.1%) and South Australia (-25.4%) recorded less dwelling approvals this month, while Victoria (1.4%), Western Australia (1.4%) and Tasmania (21.3%) recorded more dwelling approvals. Private sector houses approved fell 2.5% due to falls in Victoria (-5.4%), Queensland (-8.9%) and South Australia (-4.0%). New South Wales (0.9%) and Western Australia (5.9%) rose. The value of total building approved fell 2.4% in June in seasonally adjusted terms. The value of total residential fell by 5.5% while non-residential rose by 4.4%.

A campaign idea for Tony. If it’s good enough for the real Conservatives — you know, those British ones — it should be good enough for ours and it would give the television stations an excuse to brighten up their pictorial election coverage. Heaven knows and we could do with that!

The UK’s Minister for Employment, Chris Grayling, has just announced an administrative change that will ban lap dancing clubs and s-x phone line firms from using job centres to recruit new staff. All such jobs in the s-x industry which could lead to “exploitation” will no longer be allowed.

The ban will cover any job related to “direct s-xual stimulation,” reports the London Daily Telegraph, including strippers, webcam performers and topless bar maids, but will not cover other posts in the adult entertainment industry such as bouncers, cleaners or shop workers.

A masonic conspiracy. Now here’s another thing our campaign could do with — a masonic conspiracy theory. Italy has one at the moment as the ruling party of premier Silvio Berlusconi breaks apart over claims of corruption, masonic conspiracies, wire-tap abuses, and attempts to interfere with the courts and free speech. We are a pretty tame lot by comparison.