Why Australia is running low on timber, cars and pianos
An almighty crunch between stimulus-fuelled demand and supply chain disruption caused by transport and logistics bottlenecks is threatening to derail the global recovery.
Companies are finding themselves caught short as the world struggles to deal with surging demand and logistics chaos. David Rowe
Philip MacGregor, who runs one of Sydney’s biggest residential building materials suppliers, says the worsening shortage of timber, steel and other supplies hitting his industry is simply “overwhelming”.
Over the past 35 years, MacGregor has been at the front line of the city’s busts and booms – including the 1990s construction frenzy that led up to the 2000 Olympics and the post-GFC pink batts installation surge of early 2009.
Jacob GreberSenior correspondentJacob Greber was The Australian Financial Review’s senior political correspondent. Connect with Jacob on Twitter. Email Jacob at jgreber@afr.com
Hans van LeeuwenJournalistHans van Leeuwen is The Australian Financial Review’s former Europe correspondent. He is now International Economy editor for The Telegraph UK.
Emma ConnorsSenior editor and writerEmma Connors was South-east Asia correspondent from October 2019 until mid-2023, based in Jakarta and Singapore. She has previously edited Perspective and Opinion and has written extensively across the AFR and related titles. Connect with Emma on Twitter. Email Emma at emma.connors@nine.com.au
Michael SmithHealth editorMichael Smith is the health editor for The Australian Financial Review. He is based in Sydney. Connect with Michael on Twitter. Email Michael at michael.smith@afr.com
