Author Archives: Gene Tunny

Economics: Keeping the World in Business – speech to high school students at UQ

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Below is the prepared text of a talk I gave to high school students attending the Careers that Shape the World day at the University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, on Wednesday, 23 April 2014. I varied the talk significantly … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Labour market, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How important is tourism to the Queensland economy?

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Gene Tunny

It is being reported that visitor numbers over Easter at Queensland tourism centres such as the Gold and Sunshine Coasts were at levels not seen since before the financial crisis. This is great news given the importance of tourism to … Continue reading →

Posted in Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Entrepreneurs seeking venture capital better off going to US

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Australia’s low level of venture capital investment is often raised as a cause for concern, as in today’s article from Elizabeth Knight in the Age, Start ups starved of venture capital: In Australia the venture capital sector is not starved … Continue reading →

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Penalty rates reform a priority given youth unemployment rate

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Easter long weekend has once again highlighted the adverse impact penalty rates are having on the hospitality sector, with the Courier-Mail reporting restaurants close over Easter as penalty rates see wages skyrocket. I’ve commented before on how penalty rates make it … Continue reading →

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

Strong Choices poorly received by public – Treasury needs to do a lot more work

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government needs some new advisers who can prepare logical, coherent arguments as to why particular assets such as ports and electricity businesses should be privatised, because the current Strong Choices campaign has flopped (see the Brisbane Times article Strong … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Queensland Government | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Qld Treasury needs to explain logic of asset sales much more clearly

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Gene Tunny

In her terrific book On Speaking Well, former Presidential Speech Writer Peggy Noonan argues convincingly that people ultimately are moved by logic, and you shouldn’t underestimate the intelligence of your audience. She writes: A good case well argued and well … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Macroeconomy, Queensland Government, Transport | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Economic impact of natural disasters

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Having grown up in Townsville, I know very well that North Queenslanders are a resilient bunch and will recover quickly from the impacts of Cyclone Ita, although, as we’ve seen, the immediate impacts on some families and communities have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyclones, North Queensland | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

QCA issues paper shows large potential savings in industry assistance

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Competition Authority yesterday released its issues paper for its inquiry into Queensland Government industry assistance. The paper provides an excellent framework for evaluating industry assistance measures. It also highlights a number of costly assistance measures provided by Queensland … Continue reading →

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Qld unemployment rate falls slightly to 6.1% – rising participation a good sign

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The March labour force data released today by the ABS, showing the unemployment rate falling to 5.8% from 6.1% in February, were good news for the Australian economy, as reflected in the dollar surging and one prominent commentator forecasting an … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

New Treasury modelling supports change in tax mix towards GST

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Gene Tunny

In the latest Commonwealth Treasury Economic Roundup, there is an excellent paper on the economic impacts of company tax. The paper could be viewed as supporting a cut in company tax and replacing the lost revenue with greater GST revenue, either … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments