Monthly Archives: May 2017

Better policies would help Qld win the Economic State of Origin

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Gene Tunny

At times during the last mining boom, Queensland was winning the economic State of Origin against NSW, with higher employment growth, a lower unemployment rate and a higher gross state product (GSP) per capita. But those glorious days are behind … Continue reading →

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Impressive list of speakers at IAQ Qld Infrastructure Summit on 29 August

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Gene Tunny

I am honoured to be a presenter at IAQ’s upcoming Queensland Infrastructure Summit on 29 August in Brisbane, alongside our Deputy Premier Jackie Trad, Treasurer Curtis Pitt, Deputy Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington, and other luminaries including my old UQ economics … Continue reading →

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More details needed, but royalties deal better than the one before Trad’s intervention

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Gene Tunny

We still have scant details on the new Adani mega mine royalties deal, particularly the exact royalty rates and the deferral terms (interest rate and collateral/financial security required), but at least it appears the Government has pulled back from its … Continue reading →

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Nervous times for construction industry with downswing underway

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Last week I forecast a continuing downswing in construction activity (Trouble in Qld construction industry & worse may be to come) and the March quarter construction data released by the ABS on Wednesday have confirmed this (see chart below), as … Continue reading →

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On mega mine, Qld Government should avoid taking equity risk for just a return on debt

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Financial journalist Trevor Sykes would frequently point out that the problem with lending to highly-leveraged companies is that you can effectively take on equity risk while only receiving a return on debt. The Queensland Government needs to avoid this risk … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Adani no go would be bitter blow to Townsville

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill is one of the strongest advocates for the Adani mega mine, and she must now be very worried that the mine will not proceed, and that Townsville will miss out on the mine HQ, FIFO jobs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Pros and cons of a $300M royalties holiday for the Adani mega mine

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The acrimonious political debate on the proposed Adani mega mine (see Brisbane Times coverage) would be well informed by a number of economic policy considerations that I discuss below. Some of these, but not all, would lend support to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Qld full-time jobs growth since election back in positive territory

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Gene Tunny

In April, full-time employment in Queensland continued to recover and is now back above the level that prevailed at the time of the last State election in January 2015, in terms of the trend data that Queensland Treasury prefers to … Continue reading →

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Trouble in Qld construction industry & worse may be to come

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Referring to the recent failures of building companies such as CMF Projects, CKP, and Cullen, the Courier-Mail this morning observed: …we hear that even the higher profile builders (household names actually) are getting nervous with soaring costs cutting into profits, … Continue reading →

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Subsidised blockbusters like Aquaman crowding out local film productions

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Gene Tunny

There is new anecdotal evidence from film industry insiders that subsidised blockbusters such as Aquaman, currently filming on the Gold Coast, are not delivering the economic benefits they allegedly deliver. International film productions on the GC have benefited from federal … Continue reading →

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