Australia has dropped back one place on the Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Global Risk Indicator to be ranked as the third safest country in which to do business behind Austria and Switzerland.

The outlook for the New Year is marred by a drop in sales and profits expectations and concerns about the impact of the tightening credit market on operations. Inflationary pressure is also evident with more than half of executives expecting to increase prices in the March quarter.

Australian consumers are getting into more trouble with debt than ever before with young people in particular experiencing debt stress.

Following the appointment of a collections panel by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on 11 October 2007, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) confirms today that the first round of debt has been placed and the collections process is underway.

Almost ten per cent of Australian companies are rated a very high risk of experiencing financial distress or insolvency in the next twelve months.

The outlook for the New Year is set to be influenced by key decisions this month, with the impact of interest rates and the outcome of the Federal election the central concerns of business executives for the quarter ahead.

Australia's late payment problem continues with the latest figures in Dun & Bradstreet's (D&B's) quarterly Trade Payments Analysis revealing that on average companies are paying their bills more than three weeks past the due date.

The global credit crunch appears to have impacted the plans of Australian households leading into Christmas with fewer than expected intending to apply for credit in the next three months.

Foreign-owned companies operating in Australia are more likely than their locally-owned counterparts to be approached to recover outstanding debt and the average dollar value of commercial disputes is four times higher.

Profits and sales growth are at two and three year highs heading into Christmas but inflationary pressure and interest rate concerns dampen the outlook for the December quarter.

Australian exporters are entering rough seas as turmoil from the recent US sub-prime fall-out heightens pressure on the nation's key trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

Consumers who default on utilities or telecommunications debt are 5.3 times more likely to default on other forms of credit. The research also shows that consumers who default on low-value amounts (less than $500) are just as likely to default again as consumers who fail to pay up on significant sums of money.

Australia ranks second behind Switzerland as the safest country in which to do business, according to the Dun & Bradstreet Global Risk Indicator (GRI).

Signs of inflationary pressure and concerns regarding interest rate rises are negatively impacting the outlook for the December quarter.

Australia's main political parties are being urged to embrace a policy that would reduce the impact of the emerging credit squeeze and assist business, particularly small and medium sized enterprises, in their efforts to be paid on time by their business customers.

Interest rate and petrol price concerns are dampening an otherwise positive outlook for the quarter ahead, with Australian business executives expecting solid growth across a number of key indicators.

Users of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are leaving themselves open to the possibility of identity theft by giving away too much personal information.

Australia's top 50 public and private companies rate favourably on a measure of long term viability but differ significantly in a range of other measures, potentially placing pressure and risk on creditors and investors who don't understand the differences.

Business-to-business trade payments are showing signs of improvement but they continue to negatively impact Australian businesses by remaining at an alarmingly high level of 53.0 days.

Australian business executives are expecting the quarter ahead to bring solid growth across a number of key indicators as the impact of petrol prices and interest rates continues to ease.

Australian consumers are defaulting on increasingly smaller amounts of debt and at even earlier stages of their life, potentially ruining their chances to access affordable credit in the future and placing additional cash flow pressures on Australian business.

Australian business is expecting a strong start to the new financial year with positive results across a range of key indicators in the latest Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Business Expectations Survey.

Australia has the highest number of top performing companies in the Asia Pacific region based on a Return on Equity (ROE) measure.

The outlook for business in the new financial year is positive, with substantial improvements expected across a number of key indicators.

The outlook for business in the new financial year is positive, with substantial improvements expected across a number of key indicators.

The outlook for the June quarter is set to remain uncertain despite a decision by the Reserve Bank (RBA) to keep interest rates on hold for the fourth straight time after a quarter percentage point rise in November 2006 to stem inflation.

Carnegie Wylie & Company (CWC) has acquired a majority shareholding in Dun & Bradstreet Australia and New Zealand (DBA), in a move which marks out a broader financial services role for the investment banking and corporate advisory firm.

Key economic indicators show that the outlook for the June quarter is set to remain uncertain, with inflationary pressure and petrol price concerns continuing amidst signs that the impact of the drought on non-farming sectors is beginning to ease.

A shake up of Australia's credit assessment practices has been proposed with changes that would provide a greater capacity for lenders to make responsible lending decisions and enhanced consumer protection through the creation of a dedicated credit reporting Ombudsman.

The outlook for business is conflicted with firms reporting improved sales and profit expectations for the June quarter but continued negative expectations for other key indicators due to uncertainty around petrol prices, the drought and interest rates.

Australian businesses are under pressure early in the New Year, due to continually lagging business-to-business trade payments.

As 2007 begins, business has poor expectations for the March quarter, with inflationary pressure set to remain and both the sales and profits outlook continuing in a negative direction.