Author Archives: Gene Tunny

Government has to rely on inefficient taxes to fix budget – GST reform needed

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Among other 2013-14 Queensland Budget decisions, Treasurer Tim Nicholls today announced that the Government would be: Increasing the insurance duty on general insurance products from 7 to 9 per cent to assist the state in funding the NDIS (Disability Care … Continue reading →

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

Could Victorian manufacturing job losses lead to an increase in interstate migration to Qld?

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Gene Tunny

In a post last Thursday in response to the announced Ford plant closures, Mark Beath at Loose Change (Car crash!) wondered whether job losses in Victoria could lead to a revival of interstate migration to Queensland from Victoria, which is … Continue reading →

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Potential impact on Ford sales of plant closures

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Jeff Waters of ABC News Victoria interviewed me today regarding the potential impact on Ford sales of “badwill” and anxiety over servicing and parts availability created by the announced plant closures: Buyers cautious after Ford’s announced closures I told Jeff … Continue reading →

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Future of Australian car industry depends a lot on the exchange rate

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Gene Tunny

It’s been clear for a long time – well, all the time since Mitsubishi shut down in early 2008 – that Ford was the next Mitsubishi, so today’s plant closures aren’t that unexpected. Once again, as I more-or-less observed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Resources sector investment has peaked, but likely to remain strong for a few years yet

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The Australian Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics released its latest review of Resources and Energy Projects today (see Committed investment in resources and energy major projects at peak). It shows that although resources sector capital expenditure has peaked, it should … Continue reading →

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Surat Basin FIFO/DIDO workers to peak this year

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Treasury released its non-resident population projections for the Surat Basin today. They show that fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) worker numbers will peak this year at around 8,600 and decline over the next few years as the … Continue reading →

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GST changes should be considered as part of wide-ranging tax and expenditure review

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Pat Hession from the Drive program on 630 ABC North Queensland interviewed me this afternoon on the merits of increasing the GST rate and broadening its base to include exempt items such as fresh food. I noted that, from an … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Flood-proofing levy has merit, but funds should go into Consolidated Revenue

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Given Queensland’s budgetary challenges, there is merit in the Government’s plan to raise additional money to pay for flood-proofing projects through a special levy, as reported in the Courier-Mail this morning. I would, however, advise against having the money paid … Continue reading →

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What’s really happening with Commonwealth payments to Qld for health?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Gene Tunny

While Commonwealth Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has claimed the Budget gives $1bn extra for Queensland hospitals, Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls is criticising the Commonwealth for cuts to health and other areas of Government. For example, Mr Nicholls presented this table … Continue reading →

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Long-term education target unlikely to be met – haven’t we learned from previous unachievable targets?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The National Plan for School Improvement released with the 2013-14 Commonwealth Budget has the potential to signficantly lift educational outcomes across Australia and is therefore one of the positives of this Budget. But I’m skeptical of the Government’s stated ambition … Continue reading →

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