Monthly Archives: March 2011

Brisbane – a perfectly balanced city

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The ABS’s regional population figures released today confirm Queensland is second only to WA in population growth, and that the Brisbane metro area’s population growth is concentrated in the Western Corridor through Ipswich and West Moreton. The ABS has also … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Population | Leave a comment

Xenophon’s war on supermarkets

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Gene Tunny

In defiance of basic economic logic, Senator Nick Xenophon has called for the Gillard Government to dismantle the Coles-Woolworths duopoly that dominates 80% of the groceries market (Call to dismantle duopoly): THE Federal Government needs to consider dismantling Coles and … Continue reading →

Posted in Retail trade | Leave a comment

Winners and losers from Aussie dollar at 103 US cents – is Ford the next Mitsubishi?

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The Aussie dollar at 103 US cents (Dollar sets new post-float high) will be welcomed by Australians shopping online and holidaying overseas but, by making Australia a more expensive holiday destination for international visitors, it’s likely to prolong the slump in … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy | Leave a comment

Government right to push back on Townsville Convention Centre

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Gene Tunny

A new convention centre in Townsville would not likely attract any new conferences to Queensland, and it would simply serve as a competitor to the major convention centres in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, taking conference business away from these … Continue reading →

Posted in Townsville | Leave a comment

Westminster system needs reform

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Gene Tunny

With his bold bid to jump from City Hall to the Premier’s office, Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman is thinking laterally to overcome a major deficiency of the Westminster system, which requires the Government to be formed in the parliament. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Productivity Commission stumped by effective carbon price question

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The Productivity Commission has essentially admitted it’s not possible to produce the credible estimates of effective carbon prices (i.e. dollars per tonne of CO2) in the world’s major economies – US, UK, Germany, Japan, China, and India – that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change | Leave a comment

Country living is dangerous – New ABS Social Trends report

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Sea changers and tree changers may well reconsider city life once they learn about the downsides of country and small town life, including higher fatality rates from heart attacks and traffic accidents. In part, the higher fatality rates are related … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Leave a comment

A mobile phone tower in the palm of your hand – what could it mean for the NBN?

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Gene Tunny

If it’s not too late to abandon the $30 billion+ National Broadband Network (NBN), it may be worth doing so, given the rapid technological advances in ICT we’re seeing, such as lightRadio, which must significantly increase the risk that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure | Leave a comment

Was spending on the pokies boosted by flood and cyclone relief payments?

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Gene Tunny

A significant number of people who claimed flood and cyclone relief assistance from Centrelink may not have really needed the $1,000 they received, and it’s likely that a good chunk of any undeserved assistance was spent on leisure activities, including … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyclones, Floods, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Cross River Rail or a Brisbane Metro?

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman may have a good idea in recommending that the Government scrap the Cross River Rail project and consider a new Brisbane subway system instead: Brisbane’s stalled $8 billion cross river rail project should be scrapped … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Transport | 2 Comments