Economic recovery sustained in Upper Hunter
Household and business confidence are signalling a sustained economic recovery in the Upper Hunter. They improved in the December quarter, according to the latest Upper Hunter Region Economic Indicators.
The Hunter Research Foundation (HRF) Centre released the publication at its Upper Hunter Economic breakfast, held at Muswellbrook RSL.
HRF Centre lead economist, Dr Anthea Bill, said that the short-term economic expectations of businesses in the Upper Hunter improved substantially in the December 2017 quarter. They reached the highest value on record.
“The impetus for the positive business outlook and performance comes from sustained higher coal prices, historically low interest rates and improvement in national and global economies,” Dr Bill said.
Household confidence in the Upper Hunter outlook for the next quarter rose substantially in the second half of 2017. Optimists now substantially outnumber pessimists. Household confidence is currently well above the five-year average.
However, Dr Bill said there was a greater improvement in confidence in the short-term regional outlook than the long-term. That appears to reflect a degree of uncertainty around whether higher global coal prices will be sustained over the longer-term, she said.
Mental health in the Upper Hunter was a significant theme at the breakfast. Speakers included Professor Alan Hayes of the University of Newcastle’s Family Action Centre, Andrew McMahon, CEO of MATES in Mining, and Pauline Carrigan, Founder of Where There's a Will Foundation.
The HRF Centre will release its annual report on trends in use of information and communication technologies among the region’s business. Key findings from this Upper Hunter Businesses and Digital Technology report will be summarised in Dr Bill’s presentation. Dr Bill will also cover recent data on wellbeing in the Upper Hunter.
Other Articles from this issue
Local safety celebrated
Moly-Cop has taken out the WHS Business of the Year award, sponsored by AGL, at this year’s Hunter Safety Awards.
![Spacer](../themes/hbr/Images/0.gif)
![Hunter Safety Awards2](/assets/Uploads/_resampled/croppedimage530373-Hunter-Safety-Awards2.jpg)
Visionary plan to expand Airport to meet community needs
The people of the Hunter and Central Coast can see for the first time how their airport will grow over the next 20 years...
![Spacer](../themes/hbr/Images/0.gif)
![Newcastle Airport 7](/assets/Uploads/_resampled/croppedimage530373-Newcastle-Airport-7.jpg)
Scone Golf Course on par with the best
After five months construction, the multi-million redevelopment of Scone Golf Course is on track to be completed by Augu...
![Spacer](../themes/hbr/Images/0.gif)
![Scone Golf Club](/assets/Uploads/_resampled/croppedimage530373-Scone-Golf-Club.jpg)
Navigating alternative finance loans
The Australian SME market is undergoing an exciting change with more options available to business owners looking for al...
![Spacer](../themes/hbr/Images/0.gif)