At first glance the rise of Julia Gillard to the top job looks like a great opportunity. Firstly she said I am inclusive, collaborative and consultative. She also told us the election will be held this year. I would like to think there will be policy changes and that Ms Gillard, her cabinet and their [...]

Consumer confidence has fallen sharply in June, with concerns about budget and tax issues dominating responses to the monthly survey. This is the largest decline since March 2009 and means that at 101.9 the optimists only narrowly outweigh pessimists. The Westpac – Melbourne Institute index fell 5.7 per cent in June, after sliding 7 per cent [...]