Hagop Tchamkertenian, PIAA’s national manager for policy and government affairs, attributed the poor results to a number of factors.

“The proposed carbon tax, ongoing increases in energy costs, deteriorating cash flow position and the high Australian dollar are all issues that are impacting on the industry,” he said.

Tchamkertenian admitted he found it difficult to write about bad news across the board, and said there was a glimmer of hope for the future as the industry consolidates.

But forecasts for the coming quarter were turbulent with order level and employment to decrease in conjunction with reduced pricing and an increase in the numbers of outstanding debtors.

“Once again the projected forecasts failed to materialise and while the survey respondents are still forecasting improvement in industry conditions during the September quarter, there has been a noticeable correction to business sentiment levels,” he added.

The survey was completed by 114 print businesses across Australia.

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