{"id":10417,"date":"2021-02-24T16:38:25","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T16:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=10417"},"modified":"2021-02-24T16:38:25","modified_gmt":"2021-02-24T16:38:25","slug":"state-of-confidence-is-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2021\/02\/24\/state-of-confidence-is-key\/","title":{"rendered":"STATE OF CONFIDENCE IS KEY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Economic indicators are proving that the post-coronavirus recovery is well under way in NSW
\nCONFIDENCE is an enigma, a way of being rather than an emotion. US quarterback and seven-time Superbowl champ Tom Brady exudes it in spades.
\nDespite falling short at the Australian Open last week, tennis star Ash Barty is the living embodiment of \u201cquiet confidence\u201d.
\nFor much of his career, golfing great Greg Norman was confidence personified, but when it evaporated, as it did a quarter of a century ago at the 1996 US Masters, the Shark\u2019s implosion and loss of confidence was tragic to behold.
\nSo it was in 2020, with COVID-19 leaving the global economy out in the cold, like a rejected suitor left holding a bunch of roses on Valentine\u2019s Day.
\nFor consumers and businesses, the shock of lockdowns, border restrictions and ongoing uncertainty was a disaster for confidence.
\nAs the horrors of 2020 begin to recede in the rear-view mirror, NSW looks to be on the up-andup once again.
\nThe Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index climbed 3.5 per cent in February to reach 111.7 index points. When compared to the same time last year, the index has climbed 20 per cent in NSW.
\nThe NAB business confidence index is also firmly positive, after the pandemic drove it down to the lowest levels since records began.
\nThis is extraordinary. Barely eight months after the most severe economic contraction in three decades, confidence in economic conditions for the year ahead is higher than at any point in the past seven.
\nThe latest jobs figures released last week offer more hope. Although 53,144 people are still out of work compared to a year ago, the current unemployment rate in NSW last week dropped to 6 per cent.
\nThis is lower than the national rate of 6.4 per cent, and considerably below the double digit figures which were feared when the pandemic first struck.
\nMany challenges remain, and jobs is a top focus for the government, but a renewed sense of optimism is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the people of NSW.
\nConfidence is a vital driver of economic activity. So the rebound is good news for the bottom line, but it hasn\u2019t just happened by chance.
\nAustralia is among a select group of countries to have kept the spread of the COVID- 19 virus relatively under control. In Europe, the US and various other hot spots, daily new cases are still being counted in the thousands, while here we fret about one or two.
\nIn NSW the prowess of our health system \u2014 and, most importantly, the amazing NSW Health personnel who have kept raising the bar for testing and contact tracing \u2014 has undoubtedly boosted confidence, demonstrating a consistent ability to contain outbreaks as they arise such as on the northern beaches at Christmas.
\nThe approach taken by our government in tackling both the health and economic challenges has been very much geared towards giving the people of our state as much confidence as possible in the most uncertain period in living memory.
\nThe impact of a snap five-day lockdown in Victoria was a stark reminder of the constant challenges of COVID and how far and wide decisions made by governments are felt.
\nMetung is a picturesque town in East Gippsland about 300km from Melbourne\u2019s quarantine hotels. It was once a favoured bolt hole for country legend Slim Dusty back in the day.
\nWhen local publican David Strange was interviewed by Melbourne radio station 3AW, his frustration at being locked down again was palpable.
\n\u201cWe are going to have outbreaks of this thing for the next 12 months, I\u2019m sure, and you can\u2019t just say \u2018The science says close the state\u2019 and we close it,\u201d he said.
\nSky News reported that on day one of the Victorian lockdown, Lifeline received the third highest number of daily calls in its 60-year history.
\nThe challenge for every government remains the need to balance the health response with the social and economic consequences with every decision we make.
\nThat\u2019s what is driving our approach and it\u2019s an important factor in ensuring the people of NSW can face the future with optimism, determination and confidence.
\nDominic Perrottet<\/strong>
\nNSW Treasurer.
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Economic indicators are proving that the post-coronavirus recovery is well under way in NSW CONFIDENCE is an enigma, a way of being rather than an emotion. US quarterback and seven-time Superbowl champ Tom Brady exudes it in spades. Despite falling short at the Australian Open last week, tennis star Ash Barty is the living embodiment … Continue reading “STATE OF CONFIDENCE IS KEY”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}