This is a surprising and disappointing result. Following the 6.8% plunge in the Index in the aftermath of the Commonwealth Budget in May the Index had stabilised and was gaining ground. From June to August the Index had lifted by 5.9% to find it only 1.3% below the pre-Budget level. The Index is now 5.8% below the pre- Budget level and only 1.1% above the post-Budget print. In effect most of the steady recovery we had seen in the Index over the last three months has been eroded. Every quarter we survey respondents’ recall of major news items. In June, following the release of the Commonwealth Budget, 73.8% of ... (full story)