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Top Posts & Pages
- Heat map of Brisbane metro property prices – big opportunities in the Western corridor?
- Top twenty largest cities and towns in Queensland by population
- Fake privatisation of Titles Registry helping Qld Gov’t pretend it has debt management plan
- Inflation & interest rates chat with 4BC's Scott Emerson
- ACCC right to call for Qld Gov’t to cut stamp duty on home insurance - $200 in stamp duty on each NQ home insurance policy on average
- Qld hospitality sector has had stronger recovery than NSW and Victorian sectors
- International film productions such as Thor: Ragnarok unworthy of Qld taxpayer support
- Michael Porter on Cairns's tourism cluster
- Cross River Rail cost blowout means project doesn’t stack up
- Does Queensland need an Urban Land Development Authority?
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Blogroll
Monthly Archives: October 2015
What I’m reading – Bernanke’s Courage to Act
One of my favourite passages in Ben Bernanke’s memoir of the financial crisis and its aftermath, The Courage to Act, describes how, on the way to the Federal Reserve building to deal with the imploding Bear Stearns, Bernanke takes the … Continue reading
Posted in Macroeconomy
Tagged bernanke, fed, federalreserve, financialcrisis, fundsrate, greenspan, housingbubble, inflation, inflationtargeting, interestrates, janetyellen, monetarypolicy, us, usfed
2 Comments
Transparency needed around luring film productions such as Thor: Ragnarok to Qld
In its final report on government industry assistance (i.e. corporate welfare) released in August, the Queensland Competition Authority recommended an end to the lack of transparency that still, alas, characterises Queensland Government industry attraction measures. This lack of transparency was … Continue reading
Posted in Industry policy
Tagged filmindustry, industrypolicy, qca, queensland, thor, thorragnarok
13 Comments
Qld regions have been struggling and not just the mining ones
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill’s alleged lack of success in bringing new infrastructure projects to the city may become a major issue in the mayoral election in March next year, based on a report in today’s Townsville Bulletin. The Mayor may … Continue reading
Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy
Tagged capex, china, fitzroy, investment, mackay, qld, queensland, superstadium, townsville, unemployment, widebay
2 Comments
Australia’s boldest experiment and the first age of the econocrat
In the early 1990s, there was an article in the Weekend Australian on “The age of the econocrat,” which described the huge influence that economists in Canberra had on policy making at the time. It was an article which partly … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged australia, coombs, demobilisation, econocrats, postwar, reconstruction, treasury, war
5 Comments
Australian Perspective: 2016 and beyond – keynote presentation to CPA Congress, Brisbane
I was delighted to give the opening keynote presentation at the Brisbane CPA Congress at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre this morning. My presentation slides (which I’ve slightly modified with additional headings and source information) are available to download: … Continue reading
Posted in China, Housing, Macroeconomy
Tagged brisbane, china, cpa, cpacongress, economist, gdp, housing, negativegearing, personaltrainers, services, super, uber, unemployment
2 Comments
Residential property a “bright spot” in Qld economy
The Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt correctly noted yesterday that “The property sector is a real bright spot in the Queensland economy and it’s making a positive contribution to jobs and growth.” This is confirmed by data and casual observation. Regarding … Continue reading
Posted in Housing, Macroeconomy
Tagged brisbane, construction, finance, housing, qld, queensland
8 Comments
Upcoming presentation by HSBC’s Paul Bloxham on Australia’s next growth driver, the services sector
With such significant uncertainty regarding the economic outlook, as the Australian economy is re-balancing at the end of the mining boom, there is much speculation regarding the future drivers of economic growth and jobs. Hence I am delighted that HSBC’s … Continue reading
Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy
Tagged ausecon, australia, australianeconomy, economicgrowth, esaqld, gdpgrowth, growth, hsbc, miningboom, morgans, services, servicessector
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Energy GOCs equity raid a good example of problem with public ownership
I was quoted in the Courier-Mail this morning regarding the $3.5 billion the Queensland Government has withdrawn from equity in its power businesses (see chart above) for the purposes of paying down debt (see Earnings grab quick debt fix, Pitt … Continue reading
Posted in Budget, Energy
Tagged accounting, budget, debt, deficits, energex, ergon, gocs, powerlink, qld, queensland, surpluses
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Courier-Mail opinion piece on daylight saving
I have an opinion piece on daylight saving published in today’s Courier-Mail, arguing it is time for a new trial of summer time in Queensland, at least for South-East Queensland, as the economic costs (including the opportunity cost of lost … Continue reading
Posted in Brisbane, North Queensland, Queensland Government
Tagged daylightsaving, qld, queensland
12 Comments
Can Do, the Campbell Newman biography by Gavin King
Former Cairns MP Gavin King’s just published Campbell Newman biography Can Do (which includes two quotes from me on p. 220 and 267) makes an important contribution to the economic reform debate in Australia. After telling the story of Campbell … Continue reading
Posted in Queensland Government
Tagged assetleases, campbellnewman, economicreform, privatisation, qld, queensland, strongchoices
4 Comments