"EMMA ALBERICI: They might be telling you that, but labour productivity based on yesterday's Treasury figures is up by 1.9 per cent in the March quarter and 3.9 per cent over 12 months, which is more than double the long-run average.
JENNIFER WESTACOTT: Yeah, we're interested in that figure yesterday because it's sort of out of sync with the kind of trend figures we've seen for a long period of time where we've seen flat or declining productivity, so ...
EMMA ALBERICI: But in your report you say the figures you're seeing are anecdotal.
JENNIFER WESTACOTT: Well, they're indicative. They're there to illustrate a point that ...
EMMA ALBERICI: But anecdotal is different to Treasury statistics, aren't they?
JENNIFER WESTACOTT: Well those Treasury statistics are the statistics for the March quarter. What we want to see is the long-run trend.
EMMA ALBERICI: Well they say over 12 months, 3.9 per cent."
Above is part of a transcript of an interview conducted between Emma Alberici and the head of the Business Coucil of Australia in June last year. Alberici quotes a treasury statistic for the 12 months to the end of March 2012 showing productivity to be 3.9%, double the long term average. The BCA head had been propagating the furphy that productivity is poor under this government because of the IR system. I've been looking for more recent figures, but haven't been able to find any. I have no idea what productivity for the March to June quarter was, I heard a report that the figure for the September quarter was strong, but didn't get the actual number, while the stat for the December quarter would not have been released.
