Author Archives: Gene Tunny

Chat about the Crown S04 with ABC’s Steven Austin

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday afternoon I had a great chat with 612 ABC Brisbane’s Steven Austin about season 4 of The Crown, specifically about its depiction of Margaret Thatcher, which was a topic of conversation in my last Economics Explored podcast episode. Below … Continue reading →

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Special deals can be bad deals for Government – my comments in today’s Courier-Mail re. Maryborough trains contract

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government is facing big questions over the closeness of two prominent lobbyists to the highest levels of government in the state (e.g. see this Brisbane Times report). I don’t necessarily have a problem with lobbyists, so long as: … Continue reading →

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Surely just a matter of time before decriminalisation of cannabis and other drugs

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Last Friday, the US House of Representatives passed a law decriminalising cannabis at the federal level. Unfortunately, as noted in this CNN report, the law has very little chance of being upheld by the US Senate, but it was good … Continue reading →

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Qld Budget doesn’t tell the full story on government’s borrowing costs

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Gene Tunny

State Treasurer Cameron Dick, who handed down the 2020-21 Queensland Budget earlier this week, has impressed me with his chutzpah, demonstrated, for example, by this audacious statement in his Budget speech (on p. 38): Not only are our interest costs … Continue reading →

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On Adam Smith and Margaret Thatcher with Dr Eamonn Butler – latest podcast episode

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Gene Tunny

First, I should say that Gillian Anderson nailed Margaret Thatcher’s voice and mannerisms in season 4 of the Crown, but she had to work with some pretty dreadful scripts at times. Thatcher was cast as the villain responsible for high … Continue reading →

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Qld Budget interview on 4BC with Scott Emerson

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Gene Tunny

I was pleased to speak with 4BC Drive host Scott Emerson yesterday about the 2020-21 Queensland Budget. Among other issues, Scott and I chatted about the Government’s abandonment or, more charitably, nuancing of its fiscal principle around keeping public service … Continue reading →

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Women and the Budget webinar presented by Griffith Business School

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Last Thursday I had a great time moderating a webinar on Women and the Budget hosted by the Griffith Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics. Presenters included Dr Leonora Risse of RMIT who has been a visiting fellow at the … Continue reading →

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Qld Budget reveals bigger deficits and a lot more debt than expected

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick has handed down the long-awaited 2020-21 state budget and it contains bigger deficits and much higher debt over the forward estimates than I expected, with nearly $89 billion of general government debt and around $130 billion … Continue reading →

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QPC highlights NDIS rollout delay in Qld and failure of public administration

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Productivity Commission has written a pretty damning draft report (Inquiry into the NDIS market in Queensland) covering the state government’s rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Queensland, even though the Commission buries the lead and doesn’t … Continue reading →

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By “significant borrowings” Treasurer Dick means $10B-15B of additional debt, at least

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Gene Tunny

I raised my eyebrows when I read Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick’s acknowledgement to the media today that there would be new “significant borrowings” in the forthcoming 2020-21 state budget (see the Courier-Mail report). Describing the additional borrowings to be revealed … Continue reading →

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