Author Archives: Gene Tunny

JobMaker appears poorly targeted – great analysis from ex-Senator John Black

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Former Queensland Labor Senator and Executive Chairman of Education Geographics John Black has a great article on his website arguing We told you so…JobMaker misses the real target. Recall that JobMaker is the federal government’s hiring credit for newly engaged … Continue reading →

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Stamp duty to land tax switch has long been argued for by economists

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Gene Tunny

It’s good to see the NSW Government considering a switch from stamp duty on property transactions to a broader land tax, at least for future transactions where it’s possible people could be offered a choice of either an up-front payment … Continue reading →

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Qld risks becoming a hermit state if vaccine isn’t safe and effective

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Even though Adelaide doesn’t yet meet the Commonwealth’s definition of a COVID hotspot (as pointed out by Andrew Clennell on Sky Australia today), the Queensland Government rushed to declare it one and to impose quarantine requirements on travellers from Adelaide, … Continue reading →

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Matt Ridley’s How Innovation Works is recommended reading

Posted on November 15, 2020 by Gene Tunny

This weekend I finished reading Matt Ridley’s excellent How Innovation Works, which makes a compelling case in favour of leaving innovation largely to the free market, rather than having it guided and supported by government. Ridley is a great storyteller … Continue reading →

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PM thinks he has agreement with Premier on border, but it’s the CHO who makes the decisions

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Sky News has reported PM confident Berejiklian- Palaszczuk border battle will end by Christmas, and PM Scott Morrison has said he has an agreement with both Premiers for Queensland to be fully open to NSW, including Greater Sydney, by Christmas. … Continue reading →

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Qld Assistant Min. McCallum given huge challenges – 50% renewable energy by 2030 and hydrogen economy

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has given one of her government’s rising stars, Lance McCallum, MP for Bundamba, the huge and arguably near impossible task of overseeing the achievement of the 50% renewable energy target by 2030. Yesterday, McCallum was appointed as … Continue reading →

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Economics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution podcast chat with Nick Johnson and Brendan Markey-Towler

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Gene Tunny

My fellow Queensland economists Nicholas Johnson and Brendan Markey-Towler have written an impressive new book Economics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Internet, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain, which was published by Routledge last month. I spoke with Nick and Brendan earlier … Continue reading →

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No Qld upper house means poorly thought through legislation

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland has too many poorly thought through pieces of legislation, arguably due to the lack of an upper house and the failure of Parliamentary Committees, ruled by the Government of the day, to properly scrutinise legislation. This is clear today, … Continue reading →

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Cross River Rail scrutinised by Grattan and AiP

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Brisbane’s under-construction inner city subway system Cross River Rail has been identified as an example of a risky megaproject (a $5bn+ project) subject to cost blowouts by the highly respected Grattan Institute in its latest report The rise of megaprojects: … Continue reading →

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Minimum wages and employment podcast discussion

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Apart from Joe Biden winning the US Presidency and the Democratic Party otherwise under-performing, in my view, the major news coming out of last week’s elections in the US was Florida voting to increase its minimum wage to $15/hour by … Continue reading →

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