Monthly Archives: December 2014

2014 wrap up – Qld Govt excelled on budget management, but Adani & Tatts deals questionable

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government’s major economic policy achievements in 2014 included: strong budget management, particularly through expenditure restraint, with the Mid Year Fiscal and Economic Review reporting that expenses in 2014-15 are expected to now be $720 million lower than budget … Continue reading →

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Strong December sales needed after lean year for Queensland retailers

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I’m looking forward to this morning’s Boxing Day sales in Brisbane CBD, which hopefully will live up to expectations of big crowds and high turnover, as historically low interest rates and lower petrol prices free up cash for discretionary spending … Continue reading →

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Queensland mid-year Budget update – Nine News interview

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Katherine Feeney of Nine News Brisbane interviewed me yesterday regarding Queensland’s mid-year Budget update, which significantly downgraded Queensland’s fiscal outlook, largely due to lower coal and LNG prices in the forecast period. Katherine and the Nine team did a good … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Boys under-performing at Queensland State Schools

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Gene Tunny

A new ABS study on educational outcomes at Queensland State Schools confirms the importance of socio-economic factors in school performance, and also reveals a surprisingly large gap in NAPLAN performance between boys and girls (see chart below I’ve copied and … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Budget blowout highlights risk of permanent deficits without major spending cuts

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Gene Tunny

With today’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook expected to reveal a blowout in this year’s budget deficit from around $30 billion to $35-40 billion, the Commonwealth Government is right to be reviewing childcare benefits and the proposed paid parental leave … Continue reading →

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

The compliance burden of work Christmas parties

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Back in October, Chris Richardson from Deloitte Access Economics pointed out the large costs (up to $70 billion in total p.a.) that businesses are imposing on themselves and other businesses through internal rules, such as those designed to demonstrate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

G20 had only minor impact on Brisbane’s profile worldwide, suggests Google Trends

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was pretty skeptical about the long-term impacts of the G20 on tourism to Brisbane (e.g. see Link to ABC radio interview on G20 and Expo 88) and Google Trends suggests my skepticism was correct. While there was a small … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Qld waiting for LNG exports to boost economic growth, as internal demand falls away

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The first exports of LNG from Curtis Island off Gladstone are expected to occur later this month, and they can’t come soon enough for the Queensland economy, with our current economic weakness confirmed by State Final Demand estimates in yesterday’s … Continue reading →

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

Privatisation scoping studies should be released to inform public debate

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Gene Tunny

If it hasn’t already been sent, I expect an email will be sent around Ergon Energy today decreeing that all whiteboards must be erased after meetings, after the embarrassing disclosure of privatisation planning to union officials via a whiteboard (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Energy | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Brisbane City Council’s 15 minutes free parking policy is economically dubious

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Economists usually worry when something is provided free, because the price of $0 typically doesn’t reflect the cost of providing the good or service, and demand will increase to inefficient levels – i.e. levels where the value people place on … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments