Monthly Archives: September 2020

Gov’t claims police boost “fully funded”, but won’t release full budget forward estimates

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Earlier today, in announcing a huge boost to police staffing, expected to cost $624 million over five years, Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan commented (in the media release Palaszczuk Government to deliver an extra 2,025 police personnel): “Unlike the commitments … Continue reading →

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Auditor-General exposes deep flaws in Queensland’s governance

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s Auditor-General is having a big week, with the publication of hard-hitting reports into the latest Queensland Health IT bungle (see today’s Courier-Mail) and the Government’s economic response to COVID-19. The report on the economic response revealed a lack of … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Defence should never have been on the Qld-NSW border in the first place

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Earlier this month, I was shocked when I landed in Bundaberg and was greeted by a police officer wanting to check I was a Queensland resident, but I guess I would have been even more shocked if I tried to … Continue reading →

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Second GC motorway should have been built decades ago – BODBTN extract

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Gene Tunny

It was good to see in a media statement yesterday the state government’s commitment to a second M1: The Palaszczuk Government’s economic recovery plan will be significantly boosted with a $755 million commitment to build the 16-kilometre stage one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Infrastructure, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Red tape and regulation – CIS On Liberty podcast

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday I spoke with Associate Professor Salvatore Babones from Sydney Uni on my forthcoming Centre for Independent Studies Policy Paper Rationalising Regulation. You can watch our conversation on YouTube via the player below. Thanks to those readers who I know … Continue reading →

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Qantas call for state gov’t incentives highlights the prisoners’ dilemma of interstate bidding wars

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Government agencies such as Treasury and State Development will be busy developing an incentive package, no doubt containing payroll tax concessions and possibly a grant, to attract Qantas’s HQ. As the Australian reported yesterday: Qantas is asking state governments … Continue reading →

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Upcoming CIS livestream on Regulation and COVID this Thursday

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Gene Tunny

This Thursday at 10am (AEST) I will appear on a CIS On Liberty livestream with Associate Professor Salvatore Babones (pictured on the thumbnail below) to discuss a forthcoming paper I’ve co-authored on Rationalising Regulation, part of the CIS’s Pandemic to … Continue reading →

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Qld’s harsh border policy – a conversation with Joe Branigan

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Gene Tunny

The biggest issue in Queensland right now is our harsh border policy, which I discussed earlier today with my good friend and former Treasury colleague Joe Branigan of Tulipwood Economics. Joe is the co-author with Dr Henry Ergas of the … Continue reading →

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Big questions about Qld Chief Health Officer’s judgment – Premier needs to show leadership

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s border restrictions with ACT (and arguably with NSW, too) were always a huge over-reaction and the events of yesterday revealed their tragic consequences, with a young woman prevented from attending her father’s funeral, even though the risk of her … Continue reading →

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Hollywood subsidies by Qld Gov’t kept hidden – Qld Right-To-Info process a huge joke

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Gene Tunny

I’ve long argued that the current approach to assisting the film industry, focused on luring international film productions, is wasteful, doesn’t achieve any important public policy goals, and is politically motivated, so drab politicians can benefit from some Hollywood glamour. … Continue reading →

Posted in Gold Coast, Industry policy, Queensland Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment