Monthly Archives: May 2011

Mining sector dominates investment spending

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Gene Tunny

At the RBA briefing on its monetary policy statement in Melbourne yesterday, the RBA’s head of economic analysis, Dr Tony Richards, stunned some audience members when he mentioned that mining sector investment would increase to around 6% of GDP in … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Macroeconomy, Mining | Leave a comment

Budget shows $6bn loss of coal production

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Gene Tunny

One chart in the 2011-12 federal Budget papers that caught my eye shows the big hit to coal production caused by our Summer of natural disasters: The Treasury explains: The direct negative impact of the recent natural disasters is expected … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Mining | Leave a comment

Gold Coast students will be able to surf in between lectures

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Installing surfboard racks on the Gold Coast light rail system is an inspired and innovative idea, which is consistent with the brand the Gold Coast wishes to project internationally. It will surely be a talking point among visitors and generate … Continue reading →

Posted in Gold Coast, Tourism, Transport | Leave a comment

OECD admits it stuffed up in lead up to crisis, and blames IMF, too

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Her Majesty the Queen was not impressed with the failure of economists to foresee the 2008 financial crisis, as noted in this just released OECD working paper on Surveillance by International Institutions. The paper contains some interesting self-criticism from the OECD … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy | Leave a comment

Flegg recommends $50 spending cap during natural disasters

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Gene Tunny

After the flood waters had receded on the afternoon of Thursday 13 January, I made it to Indooroopilly Shoppingtown and was surprised to see 3 police officers outside the Woolworths. Obviously there had been an incident there earlier that day … Continue reading →

Posted in Floods, Retail trade | Leave a comment

Good times ahead for Queen City of the North

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Long-time Townsville residents sometimes fondly refer to their hometown as the “Queen City of the North”, which it is, in a way, being the most populous Australian city north of the Tropic of Capricorn, with around 170,000 residents compared with … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Population, Townsville | 1 Comment

Teacher bonus scheme a worthwhile experiment

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Gene Tunny

PM Julia Gillard’s announcement today of a bonus pay scheme for teachers is good news, as it signals the Government’s commitment to improving teacher quality, which is a very important contributor to the educational outcomes of Australian children. The ABC … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 1 Comment

Self-employed tradies and freelance consultants logging long hours

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Gene Tunny

According to Dr Phil, “there’s a lot of dogs after them bones.” Independent contractors, such as self-employed tradies and freelance consultants, instinctively know this and often take on whatever work becomes available regardless of their capacity to undertake it, because they … Continue reading →

Posted in IR | Leave a comment