Author Archives: Gene Tunny

Vehicle sales affected by weak consumer confidence & Gen Y habits

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Gene Tunny

New motor vehicle sales in Queensland in August were almost 9% lower than in August 2013, according to ABS data released yesterday. There are at least three contributing factors: persistently weak consumer confidence (see Consumer sentiment slumps as budget worries … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Housing, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

If you want to understand the East Coast gas market, come to this presentation

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Gene Tunny

With the first LNG exports from Curtis Island off Gladstone expected later this year, it is timely to consider what the linkage of our domestic gas market to the international market will mean for gas prices in Australia. A Grattan … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Gladstone, Mining | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

ABC radio interview on unemployment, the 4% target and the four pillars plan

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was interviewed this morning by Steve Austin on 612 ABC Brisbane regarding yesterday’s unemployment figures, particularly what they mean for the Government’s four pillars plan and its 4% unemployment rate target: Jump in employment questioned I reiterated the point … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

4% unemployment rate target looking much less achievable now

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Gene Tunny

With Queensland’s unemployment rate at 6.7%, compared with 5.8% one year ago, debate has resumed over the Government’s pledge to reduce unemployment to 4% within two terms (see the Courier-Mail’s coverage). I’ve previously commented that, when the promise was made, … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Qld tourism continues to under-perform

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Evidence continues to mount on the failure of Queensland’ tourism promotion policies, which I’ve commented on before (TEQ deserved funding cut – no turnaround in share of international visitors). New Tourism Research Australia data shows that, while domestic tourism (Australians … Continue reading →

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

High insurance costs likely to impede development of Northern Australia

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Since Cyclone Yasi, insurance premiums have soared in North Queensland as insurance companies have reassessed the risks of insuring properties in the region. Just how much premiums have increased is illustrated by some figures provided to the Joint Select Committee … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, North Queensland, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ipswich set for building boom

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I wrote last year about how Ipswich will play an important role in the eventual recovery of the Queensland building industry. The outlook for the building industry in Ipswich now appears even better than it did then, with a huge … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Ipswich | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Big increase in Govt infrastructure spending in election lead up

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Gene Tunny

After a couple of years of spending cuts that have contributed to Queensland’s economic sluggishness, Queensland Government infrastructure spending appears to be on the rise in the lead up to the election (see chart below based on the June quarter … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Queensland Government | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

$5 billion Bus and Train Tunnel has unimpressive benefit-cost ratio

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Bus and Train (BaT) Tunnel from Dutton Park to Spring Hill is out for comment, and I’m rather unimpressed by the benefit-cost ratio, estimated by Deloitte at 1.16. That is, benefits are estimated … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

TransLink survey missing an option – reduce public transport subsidy

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The TransLink survey on whether carbon tax savings of $30 million should be used to reduce fares or provide more services (see below) is missing an important option: keep fares and services the same, and reduce the massive subsidy to … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments