Author Archives: Gene Tunny

G20 had only minor impact on Brisbane’s profile worldwide, suggests Google Trends

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was pretty skeptical about the long-term impacts of the G20 on tourism to Brisbane (e.g. see Link to ABC radio interview on G20 and Expo 88) and Google Trends suggests my skepticism was correct. While there was a small … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Qld waiting for LNG exports to boost economic growth, as internal demand falls away

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The first exports of LNG from Curtis Island off Gladstone are expected to occur later this month, and they can’t come soon enough for the Queensland economy, with our current economic weakness confirmed by State Final Demand estimates in yesterday’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Mining | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Privatisation scoping studies should be released to inform public debate

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Gene Tunny

If it hasn’t already been sent, I expect an email will be sent around Ergon Energy today decreeing that all whiteboards must be erased after meetings, after the embarrassing disclosure of privatisation planning to union officials via a whiteboard (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Energy | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Brisbane City Council’s 15 minutes free parking policy is economically dubious

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Economists usually worry when something is provided free, because the price of $0 typically doesn’t reflect the cost of providing the good or service, and demand will increase to inefficient levels – i.e. levels where the value people place on … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Are GPs resistant to cost-effective health care for regional and remote Australians?

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Gene Tunny

There are large differences in access to health care between Australians living in major cities and those living in regional and remote areas, as confirmed by 2013-14 ABS survey data on patient experiences published last Friday (see chart above).  Of … Continue reading →

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

Qld Government likely to go into election campaign with weak economy

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Gene Tunny

New ABS data released today show a large drop in engineering construction activity – i.e. the heavy construction activity that has been largely associated with the resources sector in recent years. At the same time as this drop is occurring, … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Macroeconomy, Mining | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Over 255,000 regulatory requirements imposed on Queenslanders

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was reminded the other day about the massive counting exercise the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) has commission regarding the burden of regulation – an exercise that has found over 255,000 regulatory requirements imposed on Queenslanders across State Government portfolios … Continue reading →

Posted in Productivity | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Productivity push from Qld Govt needed after living standards growth stalls

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Treasury econocrats should start investigating measures to improve our productivity performance, after ABS State Accounts data released on Friday confirmed a big slowdown in living standards growth over the last decade or so – measured, roughly I admit, by … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Productivity | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Productivity Commission has scope to consider student visa rorts

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Gene Tunny

One of my loyal readers often says to me that “Australians love a good rort”, and indeed there are several government policies and programs that allow rorting to various degrees. So I’m pleased that the fiercely independent Productivity Commission is … Continue reading →

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

Nice introduction to business opportunities in China and elsewhere

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Australia-China free trade agreement is great news for the Queensland economy, with scheduled reductions in Chinese tariffs on coal and agricultural products from Australia. It will also provide opportunities for people in professional and financial services (see Max Mason’s … Continue reading →

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