Monthly Archives: April 2014

Qld Treasury needs to explain logic of asset sales much more clearly

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Gene Tunny

In her terrific book On Speaking Well, former Presidential Speech Writer Peggy Noonan argues convincingly that people ultimately are moved by logic, and you shouldn’t underestimate the intelligence of your audience. She writes: A good case well argued and well … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Macroeconomy, Queensland Government, Transport | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Economic impact of natural disasters

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Having grown up in Townsville, I know very well that North Queenslanders are a resilient bunch and will recover quickly from the impacts of Cyclone Ita, although, as we’ve seen, the immediate impacts on some families and communities have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyclones, North Queensland | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

QCA issues paper shows large potential savings in industry assistance

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Competition Authority yesterday released its issues paper for its inquiry into Queensland Government industry assistance. The paper provides an excellent framework for evaluating industry assistance measures. It also highlights a number of costly assistance measures provided by Queensland … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Qld unemployment rate falls slightly to 6.1% – rising participation a good sign

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The March labour force data released today by the ABS, showing the unemployment rate falling to 5.8% from 6.1% in February, were good news for the Australian economy, as reflected in the dollar surging and one prominent commentator forecasting an … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

New Treasury modelling supports change in tax mix towards GST

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Gene Tunny

In the latest Commonwealth Treasury Economic Roundup, there is an excellent paper on the economic impacts of company tax. The paper could be viewed as supporting a cut in company tax and replacing the lost revenue with greater GST revenue, either … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Top ten contractors supplying to Qld Government

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Business people and professionals across Queensland will be interested in data recently uploaded to the Queensland Government’s http://www.data.qld.gov.au website, particularly because it will allow them to check how much Government work their competitors have obtained (Queensland contract disclosure—$10,000 and above). For … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Queensland Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Growing Chinese visitor numbers great news for Qld tourism

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Mission Beach blogger Pete Faulkner has been closely following Chinese visitor numbers, given that many tourism operators, especially in the Far North, are hopeful that Chinese tourism will revive their industry. Regarding yesterday’s new overseas arrivals and departures data from … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, North Queensland, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

QCA review of Qld Govt industry assistance is great news

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Competition Authority has announced that the Government has commissioned it to review State Government industry assistance (see Review of Queensland Government Industry Assistance), which the Productivity Commission has previously estimated at over $800 million per annum (See Scope to cut … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dr Parkinson right that the GST should be broadened

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was pleased to see the Treasury Secretary, Dr Martin Parkinson, suggest today that the GST should be broadened to cover currently excluded items – i.e. health, education and fresh food (see Fiscal sustainability and living standards – the decade … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Challenging labour market conditions for young Australians

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Professor Jeff Borland has recently published an informative labour market snapshot on What is happening to jobs for the young? As Professor Borland notes, employment opportunities for young people have declined significantly over the last few years as employers have become … Continue reading →

Posted in IR, Labour market | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment