Author Archives: Gene Tunny

Qld Government gets lucky in election Budget, but debt to climb to $81 billion in 2020-21

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The 2017-18 State Budget reveals the Queensland Government got very lucky this year, benefiting from a surge in royalties that has allowed it to generate a positive fiscal balance (i.e. the budget balance that also accounts for infrastructure spending) in … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Qld economy needs pick up in private sector investment

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Gene Tunny

According to the latest National Accounts released by the ABS last week, private sector investment spending fell in Queensland over the March quarter (in seasonally adjusted terms) and State Final Demand would have fallen as well, if it were not … Continue reading →

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Qld economy surviving, but not thriving

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Gene Tunny

In his latest column, Stormy times for an economy in the doldrums, Ross Gittins refers to Queensland’s “below-par” growth in State Final Demand, one of the statistics released by the ABS last Wednesday as part of the March quarter National … Continue reading →

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Upcoming Qld Treasury post-Budget briefing on Qld’s economic outlook

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Today is National Accounts day, one of those four glorious days each year on which we receive the latest quarterly GDP figures for the national economy, this time for the March quarter. Alas, based on the partial indicators such as … Continue reading →

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

Qld Solar Bonus Scheme shows how bad government policy can cost taxpayers for a long time

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government yesterday directed its electricity network business Energy Queensland to remove the cost of the Solar Bonus Scheme from its charges until 2020, which will reduce Energy Queensland’s earnings and hence adversely impact the State Budget (see the … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Better policies would help Qld win the Economic State of Origin

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Gene Tunny

At times during the last mining boom, Queensland was winning the economic State of Origin against NSW, with higher employment growth, a lower unemployment rate and a higher gross state product (GSP) per capita. But those glorious days are behind … Continue reading →

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Impressive list of speakers at IAQ Qld Infrastructure Summit on 29 August

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Gene Tunny

I am honoured to be a presenter at IAQ’s upcoming Queensland Infrastructure Summit on 29 August in Brisbane, alongside our Deputy Premier Jackie Trad, Treasurer Curtis Pitt, Deputy Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington, and other luminaries including my old UQ economics … Continue reading →

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More details needed, but royalties deal better than the one before Trad’s intervention

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Gene Tunny

We still have scant details on the new Adani mega mine royalties deal, particularly the exact royalty rates and the deferral terms (interest rate and collateral/financial security required), but at least it appears the Government has pulled back from its … Continue reading →

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Nervous times for construction industry with downswing underway

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Last week I forecast a continuing downswing in construction activity (Trouble in Qld construction industry & worse may be to come) and the March quarter construction data released by the ABS on Wednesday have confirmed this (see chart below), as … Continue reading →

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On mega mine, Qld Government should avoid taking equity risk for just a return on debt

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Financial journalist Trevor Sykes would frequently point out that the problem with lending to highly-leveraged companies is that you can effectively take on equity risk while only receiving a return on debt. The Queensland Government needs to avoid this risk … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments