Monthly Archives: December 2019

My top ten posts of the 2010s

Since I started Queensland Economy Watch in June 2010, I’ve attempted to cover the changing fortunes of the Queensland economy and state budget as accurately and objectively as possible. It’s been a great experience. I’ve learned a lot and met … Continue reading

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Higher long-term unemployment a marker of Qld’s under-performance relative to rest of Australia

In its 2019-20 Mid-Year Fiscal and Economic Review released in mid-December, the Queensland Government revised down the state economic outlook, with economic growth revised to 2.5%, down from 3%, and the unemployment rate revised upwards to 6.25% from 6% for … Continue reading

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Podcast highlights – Quiggin on climate change, Gruen on digital public goods, and others

My latest Economics Explained episode presents highlights from the podcast in 2019, including UQ’s John Quiggin on climate change, Lateral Economics’s Nicholas Gruen on digital public goods, and RMIT’s Leonora Risse (currently a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School) on … Continue reading

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Economic development with Griffith’s Dr Andreas Chai – latest Economics Explained episode

One of the traditions of the Queensland branch of the Economic Society of Australia (ESA) is an end-of-year seminar on each year’s Nobel Prize in Economics winners. Given our location, it’s a bit hard to get the actual prize winners … Continue reading

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My Weekend Australian comments on Qld Future Fund

The mid-year Queensland budget update Deputy Premier-Treasurer Jackie Trad released on Thursday was one of the most interesting in a long time, and I was called on a few times for media commentary. For instance, I’m quoted in the Weekend … Continue reading

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The Gender Pay Gap with Dr Leonora Risse – latest Economics Explained episode

My latest Economics Explained episode on the Gender Pay Gap is now available. My guest this episode is Dr Leonora Risse, who is currently a fellow in the Women and Public Policy program at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to … Continue reading

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Qld private sector spending has been falling while government has continued to grow

In Queensland, our over-reliance on the public sector continues, according to the September quarter National Accounts figures from the ABS, which have reinforced concerns about the strength of the national economy and various state economies, including Queensland’s. The National Accounts … Continue reading

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Panama papers & multinational tax avoidance Economics Explained episode with QUT’s Prof. Raimondos

In the latest episode of my Economics Explained podcast, I chat with QUT Head of School of Economics and Finance Professor Pascalis Raimondos about international taxation issues, particularly multinational and personal tax avoidance and evasion. As Pascalis notes in the … Continue reading

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Overly optimistic reactions to discouraging GDP data

The RBA and the Government must be happy the media is accepting the Bank’s “gentle turning point” view of the Australian economy (e.g. see the AFR’s ‘Back on track’: GDP lifts to 1.7pc), but I can’t see how the September … Continue reading

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Sluggish economy & lower coal prices could put Qld gov’t in operating deficit

The mid-year budget update from the Queensland Government later this month will no doubt contain economic and fiscal forecasts with substantial downward revisions, owing to a weaker national economy and lower coal prices. The state budget forecast a hard coking … Continue reading

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