I would like to begin with the word, “returns.” In this group of distinguished businessmen and professionals, it could readily mean “return on investment”— a financial metric indicating efficiency of a commercial venture. At the same time, to this same group of community builders and philanthropists, “to return” could also mean, “to give back” and to work for society’s improvement and welfare.
These include the low level of interest rates, the recent tax cuts, ongoing spending on infrastructure, signs of stabilisation in some established housing markets, and a brighter outlook for the resources sector. Together, these factors provide a reasonable basis for expecting that the economy will remain on an improving trend from here. The Board has also been paying close attention to the labour market.