It is also unfortunate that delays and costs will ultimately result in higher prices for consumers, households and businesses, putting pressure on an economy in recovery mode.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, as the importing industry has learned to adjust and benefit on new opportunities and built long-term resilience into their supply chains.  The logistics industry as a whole has also responded well, despite health impacts on the workforce, disruptions to operations, and state and border restrictions.  The importance of what we do has probably never been so visible and appreciated!

As I write this overview, Shenzhen is in the middle of a week-long lockdown, operations in Shanghai and Hong Kong are facing disruptions due to a lack of staff during renewed stay-at-home orders, and nearly half of all European countries have recorded increases in new Covid-19 cases in the past week as restrictions ease and the BA.2 subvariant spreads.  How this will play out globally and in Australia during the next few weeks will make for an interesting situation.

Sam Curro
Executive Business Manager – Oceania