NEW ! View articles quickly by clicking on the stories in the contents page.

There are a few signs that things are improving, although confidence may remain low, at least until a winner of the General Election is decided. In the interim it is a case of ‘steady as she goes’ as we all try to win all the business we can. 

Our 23rd edition of Discovering Stone features an enticing blend of articles which include Peter Halliday’s reviews of stone imports and exports. We also take a look at the industry’s future, which includes a call for industry to unite in order to promote the intrinsic value of natural stone.

The colourful Dr Dripstone contributes a humorous but pertinent reminder of the dangers associated with selecting natural stone from examining small sample pieces.

Jim Mann contributes another fine addition to his Back to Basics series. This particular effort focuses on sandstone. We also address the Housing Industry Association’s recent report on the number of kitchens that will be installed in new homes and renovations, and provide our calculation of the number of slabs industry will need to produce to meet demand.

We report on the Australian Stone Advisory Association’s recent Annual General Meeting and the Association’s new programme of activities which include several seminars. This edition also features our Sealer Selection Guide and the lastest round of entries in ASAA’s Architectural Stone Awards.

We intended to include the Buyers’ Guide in this edition but a number of companies did not update their free listing before our deadline, and the last
thing we want to do is publish incorrect contact details which will inconvenience our readers and frustrate the companies listed in the Guide. We apologise, however we had to meet our pre-Easter print deadline to satisfy subscribers.