Author Archives: Gene Tunny

Working from home during & after the pandemic with Alison Pennington – podcast interview

Earlier this week I interviewed Alison Pennington, Senior Economist at the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute, about the opportunities and risks of working from home during this time of COVID-19. Alison has been getting a lot of … Continue reading

Posted in Productivity, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Economic impact of COVID-19 – upcoming QUT/QAAS webinar

I’m a panellist on an upcoming webinar on Friday 22 May on The economic impact of COVID-19 and the likely short and long run economic impacts of the policy responses to it. The webinar is free and is part of … Continue reading

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Premier’s 2016 Lodge dinner remark to Turnbull highlighted Vertical Fiscal Imbalance problem

I started reading Malcolm Turnbull’s autobiography A Bigger Picture on the weekend, and it’s much better than I expected, with lots of interesting revelations and insights into the last couple of decades of Australian politics. One of my favourites is … Continue reading

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

Qld needs new Treasurer and budget update

The Sunday Mail Editorial is calling for a new Queensland Treasurer to be appointed to replace Jackie Trad, who has had to temporarily stand aside during a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation into her conduct, this time relating to the … Continue reading

Posted in Budget, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Benefits of going cashless in addition to social distancing

Regular QEW reader Denise alerted me to an article on the New Normal in Dining (in this time of coronavirus) in the Murdoch papers this week, which reported: Restaurants and Catering Australia said many measure that are in place currently … Continue reading

Posted in Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

State and regional unemployment rates in this time of COVID-19 with Pete Faulkner

Mission Beach-based economist Pete Faulkner from Conus Consulting has been in the news recently with his estimates of the massive adverse impacts that measures to combat coronavirus are having on Queensland’s regional economies (e.g. see the InQueensland report Jobless numbers … Continue reading

Posted in Cairns, Gold Coast, Labour market, Macroeconomy, North Queensland, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Highlights of recent coronavirus-related podcast episodes

In my latest Economics Explained podcast episode, I review some of the big issues covered in recent episodes on coronavirus. Brisbane-based businessman Tim Hughes of Urban Ergo and I react to excerpts of recent episodes and discuss the important policy … Continue reading

Posted in Health, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Catch up with CCIQ Chief Economist on dreadful business conditions & huge budget deficits

Yesterday afternoon I caught up with CCIQ Chief Economist Dr Marcus Smith for a phone interview on the coronavirus-induced recession/mini-depression, and you can listen to the recording here: Highlights include: 3:50 – discussion of forecasts for double-digit unemployment rates in … Continue reading

Posted in Budget, Cairns, Gold Coast, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Qld public service freeze – my Courier-Mail comments

Well done to the Courier-Mail’s Steven Wardill for his scoop on the Queensland public service hiring freeze in today’s paper: Qld public service hiring freeze to rein in budget (pay-walled). I spoke with Steven about the hiring freeze yesterday afternoon … Continue reading

Posted in Budget, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Radical Uncertainty with Prof. John Kay CBE

Radical Uncertainty: Decision making for an unknowable future is a timely new book from eminent British economists Professor John Kay and former Bank of England Governor Lord Mervyn King. I recently interviewed Professor Kay about the book and our conversation … Continue reading

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