Themes from the conversation

Costs, confidence and business decisions

The discussion explored the challenge of managing rising input costs when there is limited room to adjust prices. Cost increases can arrive quickly, while securing additional revenue takes longer, putting pressure on margins and cashflow.

Customer confidence and spending choices add another layer to those decisions. For businesses navigating seasonal income or volatile costs, uncertainty can make budgeting, investment and planning ahead particularly difficult.

Workforce capability and regional barriers

Workforce challenges involve both the availability of people and the skills and experience they bring. Finding applicants does not always mean finding the capabilities a business needs to maintain services or grow.

Housing availability, travel and competition for workers also featured in the conversation, highlighting the connections between regional development and the practical realities of attracting and retaining staff.

Productivity through people and technology

AI and automation offer opportunities to improve planning, interpret information and streamline routine tasks. Their usefulness depends on the business, the work involved and how well they support the people doing it.

Leadership, staff development and engagement remain central to productivity, particularly where service quality relies on personal interaction. Improving efficiency can help businesses respond to pressure, although it cannot resolve every external cost increase.

Personal impact

The discussion also acknowledged the human impact of sustained business pressure, including the strain that uncertainty and difficult seasonal conditions can place on owners, staff and families.

These themes are shared without attribution, respecting the Chatham House Rule under which the event was held. They are not a statement of the RBA’s views or forecasts.

RBA presentation

The presentation from the briefing is available below for those who attended and anyone who would like to explore the material further.

Thank you to our contributors

We thank Allison Bluck and Anne Kroehn from the Reserve Bank of Australia for joining us, and Town of Gawler CEO Chris Cowley for facilitating the regional business panel.

Our thanks also to the panellists who contributed their time and experience:

• Michelle Schupelius, CEO, Lutheran Homes Barossa
• Damian McGee, Owner and Licensee, The Exchange Hotel Gawler
• Andrew Morphett, Partner, Anlaby Station
• Mathew Fergusson, General Manager – Qukes & Tomatoes, Perfection Fresh

Thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions and helped connect the economic discussion with local experience.