Monthly Archives: August 2013

Resources sector investment hasn’t and won’t fall off cliff

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s ABS capital expenditure data show just how significant resources sector investment has been to the Queensland economy over the last few years, and how the manufacturing sector has been affected by the high exchange rate (see chart below). While … Continue reading →

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Townsville vs Cairns again

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Having grown up in Townsville I’m very aware of the intense rivalry between Townsville and Cairns, which is partly a battle over which city should win the meaningless title of capital of North Queensland (see Is Townsville or Cairns the … Continue reading →

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Good news on Qld coal exports and tourism

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson released some encouraging figures on coal exports yesterday, which I’ve charted below (Ports back to pre-GFC coal volumes): In part, the strong growth rates in the chart above reflect the coal industry recovering from … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Queensland’s dynamic labour market

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Today’s new ABS data on labour mobility show Queensland has one of the most dynamic labour markets in Australia, with one of the highest proportions of workers having been with their current employer for under twelve months (chart above). I … Continue reading →

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Are baby boomers ruining the careers of Gen Xers?

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Gene Tunny

There was a story in News Ltd papers yesterday regarding how “job-hogging boomers don’t know when to quit” and how this potentially has adverse consequences for the businesses they work in and the next generation of employees. While it’s certainly … Continue reading →

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NQ worried about NT plan

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill is rightly critical of the Prime Minister’s proposed special economic zone in the Northern Territory, in which a lower rate of company tax would apply. As reported in the Townsville Bulletin this morning (Economic zone plan … Continue reading →

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Gold Coast should worry less about its over-reliance on property, tourism and retail

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The Gold Coast Draft Economic Development Strategy 2013-2023 expresses concern over the Gold Coast’s reliance on its traditional sectors of property, tourism and retail (see chart above based on data from the Strategy), noting: The cyclical nature of these industries has left … Continue reading →

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Paid parking affecting work and play in Brisbane CBD

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Gene Tunny

I just noticed Katherine Feeney’s article from last week on the adverse impact the Council’s new paid parking policy is having on businesses in Brisbane CBD (Retailers keep up the fight against Brisbane’s paid parking charges). The extended paid parking … Continue reading →

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Trend data best guide to Qld labour market – seasonally adjusted figures too volatile

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Gene Tunny

There wasn’t much of great interest in the new ABS Labour Force data for Queensland today. While the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 6.3 per cent in June to 5.9 per cent in July, I suspect this was just … Continue reading →

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Good signs for building industry, but conditions will remain weak this quarter

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s new ABS data on housing loans were a good sign for the Queensland building industry, as they confirmed strong growth through the year (at 5.8%) in lending for the construction and purchase of new dwellings (also see the HIA media … Continue reading →

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