Monthly Archives: December 2020

Proposed COVID Royal Commission – great ABC radio interview from Scott Prasser

Posted on December 30, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Dr Scott Prasser, Senior Fellow at the CIS, gave a great ABC radio interview this morning on the proposal from former state Premiers Peter Beattie and Jeff Kennett for a Royal Commission into Australia’s COVID response. For background, check out … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How many Australians coped with COVID stress: alcohol

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Watching Catherine McGregor chatting with psychologist Dr Tanveer Ahmed on Sky Australia (People will have to ‘rethink’ New Year goals as a result of COVID-19 uncertainty), I remembered that many of my friends have been coping with COVID-related stress by … Continue reading →

Posted in Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas Eve post-6pm public holiday should have been repealed in this year of COVID

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Gene Tunny

A prominent Brisbane man about town and long-time QEW reader has reminded me that last year I posted on the ridiculous Christmas Eve half-day public holiday, and he said that it was particularly costly in this year of COVID. Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bulk of coal mining jobs in Central Qld, but Brisbane has 2-3K

Posted on December 27, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Last Wednesday, I was pleased to note that the Chinese ban on Australian thermal coal appears to have had little impact so far (check out Pick up in thermal coal prices over last month). This is good news especially for … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Mining | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regulating Big Tech – my latest podcast episode

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Gene Tunny

It’s been a challenging year 2020, but one positive development is that regulators in the US and Australia have started challenging the Big Tech companies Google and Facebook over alleged misuses of market power. The US Department of Justice is … Continue reading →

Posted in Competition policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mutual benefits of free trade recognised in UK-EU deal

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Gene Tunny

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has had a big win with the just-in-time UK-EU trade deal, under which it appears the UK will retain access to the common market, with zero tariffs on “most goods” according to the Financial Times. … Continue reading →

Posted in Trade | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Holiday reading – Qld Upper House discussion paper from the IPA

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Obviously a lot has happened this year and it’s easy to miss things when they come out, so I’m glad I’ve finally learned about a paper published by the Institute of Public Affairs in October titled  A Voice for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Queensland Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pick up in thermal coal prices over last month

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Unlike in WA where iron ore is the major commodity, in Queensland it’s coal that’s the big deal, and we should be thankful the Chinese ban on Aussie thermal coal doesn’t appear to have been that effective, as evidenced by … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Mining | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brisbane Inner City still the biggest beneficiary of Qld Gov’t CAPEX

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Following last year’s state budget, I posted on how Brisbane’s inner city was the big winner regarding state government capital spending. That continues in 2020-21 with the continuation of the huge Cross River Rail project (see chart below). Out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Budget, Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

South Bank theatre with $25M cost blow out shouldn’t have been funded by Qld Gov’t in first place

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday, the Brisbane Times reported COVID-19, airconditioning blamed for South Bank theatre cost blowout. The new $150 million state-government-provided theatre attached to QPAC at South Bank will cost an extra $25 million. And the project is less than one quarter … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment