Author Archives: Gene Tunny

Michael Porter on Cairns’s tourism cluster

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Gene Tunny

In a recent talk (Social Progress and Competitive Growth), Michael Porter illustrated the concept of an industry cluster using the Cairns tourism sector as an example (see figure below from Porter’s presentation). Basically I think it illustrates just how difficult … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Queensland doing relatively better than Southern States, but growth still subpar

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Gene Tunny

It’s good that Premier Newman is upbeat about the economy, but I’m less excited about yesterday’s ABS National Accounts figures than he appears to be, based on this morning’s Courier-Mail report: Campbell Newman seizes on ABS data showing Queensland growing … Continue reading →

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Very little real growth in retail trade since financial crisis

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s retail trade data for July from the ABS were disappointing and continue to show consumers are reluctant to spend. Indeed, in real terms (i.e. adjusting for inflation), there has been practically no growth in retail turnover since the financial … Continue reading →

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Housing outlook improving

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s building approvals data from the ABS should be encouraging for the Queensland building industry because they signal a recovery in housing construction, just as approvals of new apartment stock are declining. Approvals of private houses are trending upwards (first … Continue reading →

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

Resources sector investment hasn’t and won’t fall off cliff

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s ABS capital expenditure data show just how significant resources sector investment has been to the Queensland economy over the last few years, and how the manufacturing sector has been affected by the high exchange rate (see chart below). While … Continue reading →

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Townsville vs Cairns again

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Having grown up in Townsville I’m very aware of the intense rivalry between Townsville and Cairns, which is partly a battle over which city should win the meaningless title of capital of North Queensland (see Is Townsville or Cairns the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Good news on Qld coal exports and tourism

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson released some encouraging figures on coal exports yesterday, which I’ve charted below (Ports back to pre-GFC coal volumes): In part, the strong growth rates in the chart above reflect the coal industry recovering from … Continue reading →

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

Queensland’s dynamic labour market

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Today’s new ABS data on labour mobility show Queensland has one of the most dynamic labour markets in Australia, with one of the highest proportions of workers having been with their current employer for under twelve months (chart above). I … Continue reading →

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Are baby boomers ruining the careers of Gen Xers?

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Gene Tunny

There was a story in News Ltd papers yesterday regarding how “job-hogging boomers don’t know when to quit” and how this potentially has adverse consequences for the businesses they work in and the next generation of employees. While it’s certainly … Continue reading →

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NQ worried about NT plan

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill is rightly critical of the Prime Minister’s proposed special economic zone in the Northern Territory, in which a lower rate of company tax would apply. As reported in the Townsville Bulletin this morning (Economic zone plan … Continue reading →

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