SYDNEY (CU)_The number of COVID-19 infections in New South Wales continues to remain stubbornly high, with 207 new cases reported in the 24 hours to 8pm Sunday (1 August). Accordingly, the state’s premier Gladys Berejiklian refused to speculate the termination of lockdown restrictions by the end of August. Experts claim that these pandemic-induced regulations would have a billion-dollar blow on several industries across the economy which are now facing their first lockdown without the JobKeeper support package. Nevertheless, the country’s largest brick manufacturing company, headquartered in the south-eastern Australian state, continue to operate as normal, although the situation is volatile.
According to the company’s managing director Lindsay Partridge, they are likely to decide by the end of this week if the company needs to cut back on production at its factories at Horsley Park and Punchbowl in outer Sydney, as well as Bowral in the Southern Highlands region. “What else can you do but roll with the punches,” he said. “Every day you wake up and think, what’s going to happen today,” he said.
Partridge noted that while these plants continue to make about 1 million bricks a day, however, around 50,000 workers live in areas of Sydney which have been declared a Coronavirus hotspot and are therefore unable to travel for work on construction.
Therefore, as the situation in NSW continues to trigger concerns for ASX-listed brick manufacturer, growing demand in the state of Victoria has proven to be a saving grace. “Victoria is very strong,” Partridge noted, adding that extra bricks are being sent into that market every day. He pointed out that even though lockdowns continue to have a short-term impact, on the other hand, booming house prices are a big plus for the economy. Some renovations and new builds have become economically feasible on account of rising home values, which is “making more projects stack up,” the Brickworks boss added.
