Monthly Archives: December 2011

Was the ABS asleep during the Howard Govt (or has Work Choices gone down the memory hole)?

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Former Treasury Secretary Ted Evans, who was the best in living memory according to Treasury old timers, gave a great speech in the 1990s in which he noted something along the lines of “a country chooses the level of unemployment … Continue reading →

Posted in IR | 2 Comments

Bligh’s bold breakup of Queensland Health

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Well done to Premier Anna Bligh for promising to break up Queensland Health in the wake of the fake Tahitian prince scandal (Queensland Health to be abolished “as we know it”): Premier Anna Bligh has announced plans to abolish Queensland … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | 1 Comment

Fake Tahitian princes – from Joseph Banks’s time to today

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Along with many other Queenslanders I am stunned by Queensland Health’s failure to detect the $16 million fraud of the fake Tahitian prince until recently. Surely whoever is in Government after the next election will need to commission a forensic … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | 1 Comment

Paid parking and trading hours deregulation would solve carpark woes

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Gene Tunny

If you want to see aggressive competition and scenes of triumph and despair, the Indooroopilly Shoppingtown carpark on a Saturday afternoon is the place for you. After driving around the carpark for twenty minutes last Saturday afternoon, I was luckily … Continue reading →

Posted in Retail trade | 1 Comment

Bligh’s 100,000 jobs target complicates election timing

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s ABS labour force data show that the flow-on effects of the resources boom are yet to translate into large numbers of jobs in the rest of the economy. Judith Sloan in the Australian today has a great description of … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | 1 Comment

Company super profits tax would cause budgetary problems for Government

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Gene Tunny

I am surprised the Government is even bothering to investigate the possibility of reforming company tax to only tax super profits, similar to the new minerals resource rent tax, as reported here: Swan tax shake-up targets super rich This would … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Tax | 3 Comments

Coal mines re-open – Qld economy bounces back

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Gene Tunny

As the formerly flooded coal mines have re-opened, the Queensland economy has bounced back strongly. From OESR’s briefing note on the latest National Accounts figures: Also regarding the National Accounts, Fairfax economics editor Peter Martin has a great column (Economy … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Mining | Leave a comment

RBA panics over European debt crisis

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s interest rate cut shows the official family in the RBA and Treasury are panicking over the European debt crisis, and are risking the Bank’s inflation-fighting credentials. On the issue of whether the banks will pass on the rate cut … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy | 1 Comment

People’s Question Time on education and skills

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Premier Anna Bligh, Education Minister Cameron Dick and Employment Minister Stirling Hinchliffe are taking part in a People’s Question Time event tomorrow night at the State Library in Brisbane that I am attending. While registrations to attend are closed, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Leave a comment

Budget turnaround looks implausible in Treasurer’s chart

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Gene Tunny

I’m surprised Deputy PM and Treasurer Wayne Swan included this chart of budget balances in his economic note today, because it shows just how big (and implausible) the improvement in the Commonwealth Budget needs to be (i.e. around 2.6% of … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget | 2 Comments