Economist Nicholas Gruen from Lateral Economics - Founder and managing director of EdSoft Interactive, Andrew Bennetto - Talking Business 2012 - Ep11

Summary: Interview with economist Nicholas Gruen from Lateral Economics Interview with Andrew Bennetto, the founder and managing director of EdSoft Interactive, the largest educational e-learning company in Australia. Leon and Garry talk about issues including: - The ACCC creating a monopoly by approving the merger between Foxtel and Austar - The government going on the offensive over its plans to cut the budget surplus in the face of criticism by economists and big business. - Almost three-quarters of voters believing the federal government should hold off on its promised budget surplus in 2012/13 to protect services from the axe, a new survey has found. The weekly Essential Research online poll found just 12 per cent believed a surplus was still warranted, even if it meant cutting services and raising taxes. - Treasurer Wayne Swan is talking up carbon tax compensation cheques for Australian households a month before the federal budget but a prominent lawyer believes the tax is unconstitutional. - The demand for home loans dropped in February, less than analysts had expected, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. - Job advertisements rose for a third consecutive month, in a sign that hiring intentions by businesses are continuing to improve, a private survey shows. Total job advertisements on the internet and in major metropolitan newspapers rose 1.0 per cent in March, the ANZ job advertisements survey showed. - Australian construction remained weak in March, although the pace of decline has slowed, an industry study shows. The Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association performance of construction index had a reading of 36.2 in March, up 0.6 points from the month before. - More than 120 automotive workers have been stood down without pay by a Melbourne car parts manufacturer which has been placed into receivership. Coburg-based APV Automotive Components says it cannot afford to pay its 126 staff, citing a sharp drop in orders for the parts it makes for Holden, Toyota and Ford. - The latest consumer confidence survey shows household sentiment has fallen to an eight-month low. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment found confidence dropped 1.6 per cent to 94.5 in April, its lowest point since August last year, as households worried about their financial security. - A record number of Australian companies went bust in February as the downturn in consumer confidence took a devastating toll, new figures reveal. - Building fixtures supplier GWA Group says full-year earnings are likely to fall by as much as 25 per cent as home building continues to slow and bad weather hits sales. - But business confidence lifted in March amid signs the US and European economies were improving, a private sector survey has shown. - Employers have expanded their push to cut minimum working hours and slash weekend pay for casuals. They are also moving to abolish evening penalty rates and to narrow the definition of shift work, according to submissions to a review of the awards system being conducted by Fair Work Australia.