Author Archives: Gene Tunny

AWU pushes to end ban on uranium mining in Queensland

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Gene Tunny

A fierce debate will no doubt follow calls from Australian Workers Union (AWU) heavyweights Bill Ludwig and Paul Howes to end the ban on uranium mining in Queensland: “ There is an abundance of uranium in Queensland which is currently … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Mining | 1 Comment

Council could save $22 million by allowing Milton Tennis Centre site development

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today announced that he wouldn’t repair the river walk without federal funds and that the Council will delay a number of road projects and scrap some non-essential council projects (e.g. $4.8m for Vibrant Laneways) to … Continue reading →

Posted in Floods, Population | Leave a comment

Global milk price rises may surprise Australian consumers

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Australian consumers, who can now buy unbranded milk at $1 per litre at Coles and Woolies, may be surprised by news that milk prices are rising across the world, as reported in Businessweek: Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) — High milk prices … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Retail trade | Leave a comment

Share market is pro-democracy

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin argued the highest stage of capitalism is imperialism, so, in his view, capitalism is inherently un-democratic. It was pleasing to see Australia’s share market prove Lenin wrong today, responding positively to the ousting of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Cairns, a tropical Bohemia?

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Cairns is proving attractive to bohemians. The Cairns Post reports in State of The Art: Where do tired, city-dwelling rock stars head to when in need of dramatic scenery and to revive their spirits? Cairns, of course. How’s this for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns | Leave a comment

Constitutional crisis? Ever read section 53?

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The News Ltd papers are reporting the bizarre assertion that Australia may be facing a constitutional crisis (see the bullet point at the top of this story, Julia Gillard cops historic blow with ‘$317m act of irresponsibility’): LABOR has suffered a … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget | Leave a comment

River Walk rebuild looking less likely now

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Gene Tunny

PM Julia Gillard appears reluctant to provide Brisbane City Council with the cash to fix up the River Walk and to fully repair the City Cat network. The Courier-Mail reports: Council big enough to pay for flood recovery bill, Julia … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Floods | Leave a comment

Ipswich MP slams flood response

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Gene Tunny

While the consensus across Queensland is that our authorities handled the floods exceptionally well, Ipswich federal MP Shayne Neumann offers a hard-hitting, dissenting view – i.e. Ipswich was ignored in the flood. The Queensland Times reports: EVERY level of government failed … Continue reading →

Posted in Floods, Ipswich | Leave a comment

Flood clean up & repair bill around $1,100 per Brisbane household

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The Courier-Mail reports Brisbane flood cost City Council $440 mil. The Brisbane City Council area has a population of around 1.05 million people living in around 400,000 households, meaning the City Council’s clean up and repair costs add up to around … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Floods | Leave a comment

Falling CBD vacancy rates inspire confidence

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Brisbane Business News reports that Brisbane records biggest take-up in CBD commercial space: BRISBANE has emerged as the star performer as demand for Australian office space recovers with vacancy rates expected to continue a downward trend in 2011. The state capital … Continue reading →

Posted in Migration, Population | Leave a comment