Region. Job and wages performace indicators

While the May report by the Australian Industry Group – Commonwealth Bank Performance of Services Index provides a national view, given the size and diversity of the Western Sydney economy its findings on employment and wages are relevant to the region. For example, the decline in services sector employment eased to its slowest pace in eight months. On an unadjusted basis, employment increased in the health and community services and wholesale trade. The heaviest falls in employment were recorded in the transport and storage; property and business services; and retail trade sectors. Finance and insurance and communication services registered milder rates of job-shedding. Employment remained steady in the accommodation, cafés and restaurants and personal and recreational services sectors.

Huntingwood. Sixty casual workers dismissed

Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business based in London, has sacked 60 casual workers and imposed an extended shutdown at its production and distribution centre, at Hungintwood. This was done in the wake of the 70 per cent increase in excise rates on sweetened, premixed drinks and a sales slump of more than 20 per cent across the alcopops industry. Recently, Diageo Australia was rated fourth in top 10 places to work survey conducted by BRW magazine.

Region. Councils face difficult period

Councils have done an “amazing” job over many years to contain costs but it gets more difficult every year, said Clr Alison McLaren, president of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC). “Councils are faced with the ever-increasing costs of providing services and quality infrastructure,” she said.“This was under the inequitable weight of government rate pegging and the never-ending stream of services and responsibilities being transferred to councils without sufficient support funding. Add to that the potential loss from capping developer contributions, and we have a never-ending backlog of works,” she said. Clr McLaren made these comments following the release of the 2009 Fiscal Star report which noted many councils in NSW were “financially unsustainable”.