Monthly Archives: October 2021

Decarbonising the Qld economy seminar at HopgoodGanim on 9 November

Decarbonising the economy to address climate change will disproportionately impact Queensland relative to the rest of Australia, particularly given the importance of coal mining to some of our regional economies and to our state Treasury through royalties. I’m holding a … Continue reading

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Senator Canavan explains why he opposes Net Zero by 2050 in my latest Economics Explored episode

In Episode 111 of my Economics Explored podcast, Queensland Senator Matt Canavan explains why he opposes the Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 objective. We have a wide-ranging conversation covering COP26, nuclear energy, hydrogen, China, the US political situation (particularly … Continue reading

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Job vacancies by Qld region

In my last Friday livestream, I mentioned surging job vacancies across Queensland (and in many parts of the rest of Australia, too). Vacancies are at record levels in four out of seven Queensland regions (see the chart below using National … Continue reading

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Weekly wrap up – Aussie reopening, Kiwi inflation, oil and petrol prices, and Bitcoin news

My latest Friday livestream covered: accelerating NZ inflation and the implications for interest rates of accelerating inflation in advanced economies more broadly; the great Australian reopening and booming job vacancies (i.e. as noted by the National Skills Commission “Nationally job … Continue reading

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Qld retail inquiry – industry demands greater consumer choice and removal of inconsistencies

The Queensland Parliament’s Education, Employment and Training Committee is undertaking an inquiry into retail trading hours which could lead to improved consumer choice and reduced inconsistencies, but will probably end up recommending minimal changes, I fear. Hopefully, it will at … Continue reading

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Livestream on US inflation, Aussie jobs data, and Qld’s low vax rate

Yesterday afternoon I did my first livestream, covering: the growing concern internationally about accelerating inflation, prompted by the latest US CPI figures; the September ABS Labour Force data revealing big drops in hours worked and workforce participation in the locked-down … Continue reading

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Good sign the Great COVID Panic will end in Qld soon

A few weeks ago I observed that it took the NRL Grand Final for the Queensland Government to adopt a more rational approach to the pandemic, and now, thankfully, there are further signs of rationality from the Government, with the … Continue reading

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COP26 chat with Grattan’s Tony Wood – climate change, renewables, nuclear, and coal

In Economics Explored Episode 108, leading Australian energy and climate change policy expert Tony Wood from the Grattan Institute explains what COP26, the 2021 climate change conference in Glasgow, is all about and why it’s important. Tony discusses what “Net Zero … Continue reading

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Hospital funding fight the latest illustration of the big problem with vertical fiscal imbalance in our federation

There is a deep structural problem underlying the current hospital funding fight between the Queensland Premier and the PM, the vertical fiscal imbalance (VFI) between the state’s spending responsibilities and the Commonwealth’s revenue raising powers. The states receive around half … Continue reading

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