Economist back for break-of-dawn briefing

BENDIGO Bank chief economist David Robertson returns to the All Seasons Resort Hotel Conservatory after his sold-out visit in February to present his first ever half-yearly economic outlook update.

The popular speaker said the purpose of his return is to revise the outlook he presented earlier in the year for the domestic and regional Victorian economies during the two-hour breakfast get-together.

“A lot has happened in the last six months,” he said.

“We’ve had a number of unexpected outcomes – the Middle East conflict, the federal budget and its likely impact on housing markets, and also the fact that we have had two more rate hikes.

“We’d already had one rate hike by the time we had that catch-up in February, but now we’ve had three rate hikes, which completely unwound all of last year’s cuts.

“It’s certainly a very different environment.”

Robertson said the outlook he is going to talk about in terms of the big picture themes hasn’t necessarily changed that much, but there’s been “a number of complications to it all”.

“So, it’s a great opportunity to update the numbers,” he said.

“Clearly the economy is slowing but equally we need to think about what the recovery looks like next year once we reach the low in the cycle.

“It’s very topical and consequential; how the economy is performing is more relevant than ever to households and businesses.

“We’re going through such an accelerated pace of change that I think there’s a lot of demand for information.

“So that’s the aim, to provide that information in a timely manner.”

The Mid-Year Economic Outlook Breakfast Update with David Robertson takes place on Tuesday 21 July from 7am to 9am at the All Seasons Resort Hotel Conservatory.

Tickets are available via Humanitix and are expected to sell out fast.