Against the Whoop de Da from Julia, Swanee and the Boys from...

Against the Whoop de Da from Julia, Swanee and the Boys from Canberra - Out in the Burbs most of us are finding the Going getting Tougher.

Its tougher for us and tougher for them, with places that used to be busy now empty or near

Is this another area the Libs have forgetten?.

Whose right?

As an example - Woolworths, Australia's biggest retailer, said fourth-quarter same-store sales for its core Australian food and liquor operations rose 1.8 per cent, a slowdown from the third quarter. This represents historically low growth, as Australia's is stung by soft food and liquor turnover, a decline at the apparel chain Big W and sluggish consumer electronic sales.

The restrained growth is expected to be mirrored by Coles, Myer, David Jones and Harvey Norman. Grocery outlets are also being hurt by low food inflation, as it restricts them in passing on rises in other costs to the consumer.

Recent economic statistics point to a marked retreat in consumer confidence and spending.

Also today the nation's jobless rate hit 5.1 per cent in June which seems impressive. One counter note, though, was a drop in hours worked last month. The aggregate monthly hours worked in June decreased 6.4 million hours, or 0.4 per cent, to 1,567.4 million hours.